I Only Have Eyes for You
by edwardlover10
Summary: 19 years post BD. It’s the start of another ordinary school year for the Cullens. At least that’s what they think. Edward’s been acting strange lately. Whose influence is he under that is making him act this way? Can Bella stop them before he’s consumed?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns.**

**Hey, I'm back….and there will be just as many surprises in this story than there was in the last, so enjoy. This is a strictly Edward and Bella story, no matter what happens in later chapters. So…remember that. I have a good feeling about this story, so I hope you all like it!**

**Chp. 1**

_**Sarah**_

**BPOV**

"Oh, I've got it!" I exclaimed, breaking the thick silence that had formed between my husband and I. "You, Renesmee, Emmett, Alice, Esme, and Carlisle can be Cullen's. Jasper and Rosalie can be the Hale twins again. Jacob can keep his last name, Black. And I'll be Bella Masen. I don't want to be a Swan again, it just feels wrong somehow."

He hummed as he pondered my words, then his face broke out into that delicious half smile he knew I adored. "You want to go by Masen?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered without a moment's pause. "If I go by the last name Masen, I'll still feel like I'm married to you. The last name Swan tacked onto my first one would feel unnatural."

Edward was about to say something, but Alice bounced into our bedroom, her eyes bright. "I foresaw you suggesting those names and already told the rest of the family. They agreed with them, so now I'm here to tell you your background stories."

I nodded for her to go on and she looked straight towards me. "Edward and Renesmee will be twins, and are sophomores. They were adopted when they were 9 years old by Carlisle and Esme, and never knew their birth parents. Emmett will be a junior, as will Jasper and Rosalie, and they will be acting as twins too. Jacob will also be posing as a junior. As for you and I, we will be freshmen," she frowned as she said the last sentence.

I groaned. "Freshmen, really?"

She nodded glumly. "Carlisle thought it would be best."

"Damn it," I muttered under my breath. I really hated posing as a freshman, but Carlisle usually made Alice and I, because it allowed us to stay in one place longer. Plus, Alice and I looked the youngest. I've had to start as a freshman 2 out of the 3 times I've been to high school as a vampire. My own child, Renesmee, looks older than I do sometimes. It's annoying, is what it is. "So what's my story?"

"You're parents died in a house fire while you were out with friends when you were 12."

"Oh, lovely," I replied sarcastically.

Alice ignored me and kept speaking. "We'll have to doll ourselves up to make us look more believably younger. So I want you in my bathroom at 6 o' clock sharp Monday morning, clear?" She eyed me for a few moments until I finally caved, allowing her free rein in dressing me for school.

"Fine," I huffed.

"Perfect," she chirped. She smiled and skipped out the door.

When she was gone I plopped myself down on the humongous mess of sheets we called our bed. It was a very pretty, deep blue colored comforter, made of silk. The sheets underneath were midnight blue, and the pillows were huge and fluffy and wonderful. But, our bed was a complete mess from the night before. And there really was no point in making the bed if we'd just mess it right back up again tonight.

"It'll be alright, Bella. Being a freshman isn't too bad. Sure, you have to go to school longer than the rest, but you like school," Edward's soft voice filled my ears as I felt the bed shift beside me, and I nearly forgot all about why I was angry.

Somehow, I remembered. "But I won't be in any of your classes," I muttered. Whenever Edward and I are in the same grade when we go to school, we get identical schedules.

"No, you won't, but at least you'll be in some of Alice's," he reminded me. "I can even convince the secretary to change your schedule to match hers, if you'd like."

"Just leave it. I'll manage…somehow."

A comfortable silence fell over us, and I glanced around our new room. I was still upset that we had to ditch our private cottage back in Forks almost twenty years ago. Ever since moving from Forks, we've had to live in the same house as the rest of our family, which sucked more than I ever thought it would.

"Come on, love, Ness just got home." He could barely finish his sentence before I flew out our bedroom door and into the hallway. I sprinted as fast as I could down the hall and staircase, through the living room and out the front door. When I caught sight of my daughter getting out of the car, I launched myself at her.

Renesmee and Jacob had gone on vacation to get away for a couple of months, and I had missed her more than I could have possibly imagined. She had never been away from me for that long before, and it killed me the entire time she had been gone.

Her arms wrapped around my torso and she squeezed as tight as she could. A small squeal escaped her lips, "Ah, mom, I missed you so much! So did Sarah," she nodded in the direction of her husband carrying the grinning child in his arms as he approached us.

Three years ago my daughter had given birth to my beautiful granddaughter, Sarah Marie Black. She was named after Jacob's mother, Sarah, and they had also given her my middle name, Marie.

When my daughter found out she was pregnant, Edward blew a gasket, seeing on how we had no idea what this child would be. Renesmee was half vampire, and Jacob was half werewolf. Edward was enraged at the thought that the pregnancy would be similar to mine, and pounced Jacob. Emmett and Jasper had to pull him off of Jacob and outside before he could do any real damage.

Luckily, everything had turned out fine.

Renesmee's pregnancy was the same as one would be for a normal human woman. Completely natural. The baby spent nine months in the womb, and didn't try to rip its way free when it was ready to come out. She gave birth like just like any other human would.

When Sarah was born, Carlisle did several tests on her. Turns out, she was almost completely human, with only a little bit of wolf and vampire genes. Her skin tone was neither pale, nor dark. It was a fairly regular color, an almost exact mix of her mother's paleness and her father's dark skin. Her eyes were exactly like her mother's, and mine when I was a human. She had that same mop of crazy bronze hair that her mother and grandfather both shared, and the deep chocolate brown eyes that I had as a human, although they were slightly darker. She was much more fragile than Renesmee was when she was a child, but she wasn't as weak as a human. She could lift several hundred pounds with just one hand, but she still scraped her knee when she fell outside. Her skin wasn't as tough as ours was. Her blood was unappealing to the lot of us, as it had hints of werewolf and vampire in it. She was very intelligent for her age, and could read books far beyond a child her age's comprehension level. She was faster than any human, but only went about 50mph or so at full speed. Her body required sleep and she wanted nothing to do with blood, she only liked human food. Her growth pattern would allow her to go to a regular school when she was old enough, as she only grew ten percent faster than children her age. Carlisle predicted that she would eventually stop aging just as the rest of us did, but that was only a guess. I couldn't bear to think of what would happen if she aged and got old and eventually died.

Instead of dwelling on that thought for long, I rushed towards Jacob and snatched Sarah from his arms. I spun us around in a small circle and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. She giggled. "Grandma!" she squealed, her tiny arms coming around my neck.

Still, to this day, being called 'grandma' is strange for me. I'm forever 18, and look only 18 years old, but am a grandmother, as well as a mother. If I were human, I would be around 38 years old. That, in itself was weird to me. But then again, my husband is 126 years old, if you were being technical.

"Hey, baby," I cooed, pulling her back to study her face. She looked older, but only slightly. Her face was slightly thinner and she seemed to have grown a couple inches, but that's pretty much it.

Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Edward walk past us and to his daughter, taking her in his arms. I smiled as he placed a lingering kiss on her forehead as she locked her arms around his waist. Sarah took notice of her grandfather and squealed even louder. "Grandpa!"

He smiled before turning to face us, and she jumped out of my arms, running towards him. He caught her as she jumped up to him. I turned towards my best friend and immediately beckoned him over to me. He grinned before jogging over towards me, lifting me off of the ground and squeezing me in an embrace so tight, it rivaled one of Emmett's bear hugs.

"I missed you, Bells," his familiar husky voice said softly into my ear.

"I missed you, too! You guys can't go away from me like that again!" I made sure to scowl at my daughter as I said this. She rolled her eyes, but was cut from my view as Esme stepped in front of her to welcome her home.

After everyone greeted them, we all settled in the living room. I sat on the loveseat with Edward, Sarah wedged between us, one of each of our hands clasped tightly in her tiny ones.

Carlisle cleared his throat and began telling Ness and Jake what the plans were for school this year. They both agreed, but headed up to their room to investigate, as they hadn't seen it yet. Edward lifted Sarah off of the couch and then took my hand, pulling me up as well. He led us back to our room, where he plopped Sarah down upon the bed. She giggled, then started bouncing up and down. "I missed you guys!" her adorable squeaky voice called out.

"We missed you too, sweetheart," Edward was looking at her as if she were the most amazing thing in the world. I smiled, he was putty in the little three year olds tiny, but capable hands. She had him completely wrapped around her finger from the minute she was born. Anything she wanted, he gave it to her, no matter what it was. He was such a softie, even more so than he was with Ness.

He sat down on the bed next to her, and I did the same. "So tell us about your vacation,"

And so she launched into the tale of the last couple of months of her life. She talked, often using her hands to describe what she was speaking of, for almost an hour. Her eyes, wide the entire time, started to droop as she spoke of the car ride home, and before she could even finish, she had fallen fast asleep. By then, Edward and I were already laying in the bed with her wedged comfortably in between us. I laughed softly as she stopped mid-sentence, falling unconscious.

I pulled the covers out from underneath her and placed them atop the three of us. Edward grabbed my hand and twined our fingers over the top of the covers on our granddaughter's stomach.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too," he replied.

The remainder of the night was spent exactly like that. Occasionally Edward and I would speak, but most of our time was spent just watching our granddaughter. Never in a million years would I have imagined our life to end up this way back before I was a vampire. But, I'm so thankful it did. Besides Edward and Renesmee, Sarah was the light of my life. I could not live without her, now that I had her. The same goes for my husband and child.

As the sun began to rise, I spoke again. "We should probably get up soon," I told Edward.

He nodded, but lay still for a moment. Then, after one more kiss on Sarah's forehead, he got up out of the massive bed and began walking towards our closet, stripping off his shirt on the way and throwing it in the hamper. I got up after him and found him in our giant walk in closet, in nothing but his boxers. My eyes roamed over his body, and I had to remind myself of my granddaughter just in the next room to clear my thoughts, because they were definitely trailing off to some pretty inappropriate places.

He turned towards me after a moment, holding up a navy blue button up and a plain grey t-shirt, silently asking me to choose one. I picked the grey one, because I was going for casual today and I didn't want him to look too fancy next to me. He nodded and hung the other back up on the rack. As he pulled on his shirt, he spoke. "You should wear that dark purple V-neck shirt with a black tank top underneath. I love that color on you."

And so I pulled that shirt off the rack and threw it on. I paired it with some light wash jeans and a pair of black flats. I yanked a brush through my tangled hair and then pulled it up into a messy bun. Edward stood in the doorway, and as I walked towards him he leaned down and pecked me on the lips. But the jerk pulled away before I could deepen the kiss. I glared at him, and he just chuckled.

We walked down the stairs to find Esme cooking breakfast for Jacob, Renesmee, and Sarah. Edward veered off into the living room where Jasper and Emmett were playing chess, but I plopped myself down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. "Hi, Esme," I greeted her.

She smiled warmly at me as she scraped some eggs onto three separate plates. "How was your evening, Bella?"

"Wonderful. I am beyond ecstatic that they're finally home. I don't think I'll be able to handle them being away for that long again. At least not for a long, long, long time," I answered truthfully. She nodded in understanding, and I kept talking. "They probably think I'm crazy, by how much I called them and how I practically attacked them before they could even fully get out of the car."

Esme shook her head, a small smirk present on her lips. "No, they don't. They knew you were just worried. I know they missed you just as much as you missed them."

She placed three strips of bacon on each plate, then got three glasses out of the cabinet. She poured milk in one, and orange juice in the other two. I got up and helped her carry the plates to the dining room table, then offered to go wake everybody up while she cleaned the kitchen.

I darted up the stairs and was outside Ness and Jacob's door in an instant. I knocked softly, but there was no answer. So I knocked again. No answer.

I rolled my eyes, pushing the door open to reveal exactly as I had suspected. Renesmee and Jacob were both passed out, atop the covers, still in their clothes from yesterday. I laughed silently at them before I ran over and jumped in between them on the bed. Neither of them noticed I was now kneeling in the middle of them. I placed one hand on either of their shoulders and shook forcefully. Jake shot up immediately, tumbling right on to the floor with a loud _THUNK!_

Renesmee on the other hand, muttered something unintelligible before smacking at my hand.

"Time to get up, sunshine."

"Go away," she grumbled.

"Aren't you just too sweet in the morning?" I paused, "now get up. Esme cooked you breakfast, so go eat it before it gets cold."

She opened her eyes to glare at me, but I was unaffected by it. I gave her 'the mom look' and her eyes widened. She shot up and threw her legs over the side of the bed, getting up and jogging to her closet to get dressed. I chuckled, that look always worked with her.

I made my way up to the third story where my bedroom was located and went inside. I scooped up the little girl currently occupying my bed into my arms and began carrying her down the steps. I whispered to her to try to get her up. "Sarah, baby, it's time to wake up now," I paused to kiss her on the forehead.

Her eyes fluttered a little before closing again permanently. I stroked her little cheek, and tried again. "Wake up, little one." I placed another kiss on her cheek.

Her eyelids fluttered again for a moment and then opened fully, revealing the big, chocolate brown irises that I had come to adore. I smiled. "Good morning."

She yawned, stretching her tired limbs. "I smell breakfast," she mumbled, her voice heavy with sleep.

I chuckled. "Grandma Esme made you breakfast, but you have to be fully awake first."

She opened her eyes as wide as they would go and sat up, still in my arms. "I'm awake!" she shouted.

- -

The rest of the day passed by fairly quickly. Renesmee, Rosalie, and I went out to explore the new town for a few hours in the morning, and my afternoon was spent playing dress up in my closet with Sarah.

As she tried on one of my dresses, she dropped everything in her hands, forgetting her task as a new one came to mind. Her eyes widened and she looked straight at me. "Grandma, I have an idea!"

"And what is that, sweetie?" I helped her step out of the dress that was now a pile at her feet, and change into her regular clothes as she told me of her newfound idea. "Let's play house!"

"You want to play house?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes! I can be the mommy, and I'll go get one of my baby dolls to be my baby. You can be my sister."

"Do I get a baby?" I asked.

She paused to think about it for a minute, and then her eyes brightened as she thought of something. "Grandpa Edward can be your baby!"

I grinned, highly amused at her idea. "That's a great idea! Why don't you go down and tell him about it. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to be my baby." She nodded and then darted out of the room and down the stairs. A minute later, she entered the room again, Edward trailing behind her. He shot a glare right at me, and I struggled to contain my laughter.

By now, Sarah had already gotten a baby doll for herself, and it was situated on her hip. She looked straight at me, and then pointed to Edward. "Okay, now go get your baby."

I couldn't hold it in any longer, I burst out laughing. Sarah, confused by my laughter, furrowed her brow, looking at me as if I were insane. "What's so funny?"

"Yes, dear, what's so funny?" Edward asked through clenched teeth, causing me to laugh even harder.

I waved my hand. "Oh, nothing, nothing. Let's play."

And so we did, Edward frowning the entire time as I had to hold his hand when we would go to the pretend mall – my closet - so Sarah could pick out a pretty dress, or whenever she claimed he was being bad, and I had to put him in time out.

Oh how I love my granddaughter and her hilarious ideas.

**So….how do you feel about Sarah? Grandpa Edward? Please, let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns.**

**Okay, this chapter is ridiculously overdue, and I have no excuse, other than I've been busy. But, I promise they won't all be late. Next one should be out tomorrow or Tuesday, hopefully. Well, I hope you enjoy! And please review!**

**Chp. 2**

_**Stupid Teenage Girl**_

**EPOV**

As my eyes closed, I felt soft kisses being peppered on my neck and face. I grinned, lifting Bella up and rolling on top of her. She giggled, pulling my lips down to hers.

When we finally came up for air, she glanced at the clock and gasped. "Oh crap, I should get to Alice now, or she'll be pissed off," she grumbled.

With one last kiss, I sprung from the bed, going to the closet to get ready for the day. She rushed to throw on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, as she only had seconds before the clock struck 6am. She pecked me on the cheek before darting out of the closet. I chuckled to myself as I pulled on a pair of jeans.

After I finished dressing, I walked down the stairs and into the living room. Carlisle had already left for work, and I found Esme on the couch reading an interior design magazine. I sat gracefully down beside her, propping my feet up on the coffee table, ready to wait. God knows Alice will take forever getting Bella ready. Might as well make myself comfortable.

"So, you excited?" Esme teased me.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, my 38th first day of high school, I can't wait."

She laughed, setting her magazine down. "38?" I nodded, and her eyes widened. "Wow. Never knew it was that many times. At least it changes a little with each new school," she attempted to sound cheerful, but I could hear the pitying of me in her thoughts.

"Not much."

"Be glad you get an education, Edward. There are some kids out there who don't," she scolded me.

I looked up when Emmett entered the room, talking casually with Jacob who was a couple paces behind him. Emmett plopped down in the arm chair across from me, while Jacob kept on walking and into the kitchen, no doubt to ransack the fridge. Esme hopped up and followed him in before he could do any real damage to her perfectly organized food storage.

Then it was just Emmett and I. He reached over and grabbed the remote, turning on the television to some football game I wasn't interested in in the slightest.

Frowning, I stood and walked back up the stairs and into my room again. I decided to make the bed, as it was just a huge pile of blankets, and then straightened out my already pristine music collection. I finally settled on grabbing a book at random off of the shelf and began reading it.

It took only half an hour to finish the 647 page novel. Great.

Having nothing else to do, I went back downstairs again. Emmett was still absorbed in his game, but now Jasper, Rosalie, and Renesmee were all in the living room too. Grinning, I wedged my way in the very minimal space in between Rosalie and Renesmee, throwing each arm around their shoulders, just to annoy them. Rosalie shoved me, but Ness just rolled her eyes, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of one side of her mouth.

"Very polite, Edward," Rosalie muttered.

I just shrugged in response. She sighed and crossed her long legs, turning her attention to the game on the television. Ness touched my hand to use her gift, although it was unnecessary, as I could read her mind.

She showed me a picture of the first high school she had ever been to. When we first arrived there, Renesmee had only been 7 years old, and had never been to any type of school before in her life. She had been a big ball of nerves that first week of school, afraid that people wouldn't like her, or she wouldn't be able to keep up.

And right now, she was showing me those same fears.

I tightened my fingers around the hand that was laying loosely in mine, and reassured her, making sure she was looking me right in the eyes. "Everything's going to be alright. You've done this before, more than once. I know that all of the kids aren't going to be nice, actually very few are, but you can't let it get to you. And you know you're going to have no problems keeping up with the curriculum. You already know everything they're teaching."

"I know, Daddy. Just…nerves, I guess. I don't like moving to new schools."

I smiled sympathetically, and squeezed her hand. "Me neither, love, me neither."

Finally, after another incredibly long fifteen minutes, Alice bounced down the stairs, tugging Bella by the hand after her. When they approached the bottom, Alice held her arm out, gesturing to the two of them. "So, how do we look?"

My eyes wandered over what was now my wife. She had on dangerously tight faded blue jeans, with a purple Hollister tank top that looked as if it were painted on. Her hair was in a silver headband that matched her silver ballet flats.

Alice had on a short jean skirt, only reaching just a little above mid-thigh, with a big white belt, and a blue American Eagle shirt. She had on black flip flops and her hair was straightened down, instead of her usual spiky array.

They definitely wore the same stuff like the freshman girls at our previous schools in the past did. But with Bella…..with Bella it had a completely different effect on me. She looked stunning.

Without realizing it, I had moved from my place on the couch and had both hands on either side of her hips. I leaned down and kissed her lips softly. When her arms wrapped around the back of my neck, I heard a groan come from our daughter and my lips turned into a grin. She really hated it when we kissed in front of her.

Breaking away from Bella, I wrapped my arm around her waist and began leading her towards the car. Bella and I rode with Rosalie and Emmett in Em's new Jeep, and Alice, Jasper, Renesmee, and Jacob took Jasper's car.

Most of the car ride was spent in silence, save for Emmett ribbing at Bella every few seconds. He kept making comments about her outfit, and what age she was pretending to be. He even teased me a couple times.

I shook my head as we climbed out of the car. Annoying idiot.

Bella and I walked hand and hand to her first class, as we already got our schedules about a week prior to today. She turned to walk into the classroom, but spun around and pecked me quickly on the lips. With a smirk, I watched her disappear behind the door, then made my way onto my class.

As I took a seat in the very back of the room, I noticed I was one of the very first students to enter the classroom. The teacher hadn't even arrived yet.

The class had filled and the first hour bell had rang, yet the teacher still hadn't showed. The students began talking in small groups around them. I just stayed silent, trying to block out the young lady's thoughts next to me.

_Oh my god! Wait till Tracy hears about who I sit next to in class! She'll like freak! Oh my god, is he looking at me? Oh, please look at me!_

I shuddered, but it thankfully went undetected by her. I tuned her out after that. Her thoughts gave me a headache, which I'm pretty much sure is impossible for a vampire.

Finally, five minutes after the bell, a woman, mid to late thirties, came skidding into the room with high heels and her hair a crazy mess piled on top of her head.

"Sorry I'm late!" She exclaimed breathlessly. "Traffic!"

And as she began talking to the class about her expectations this year, I stopped listening. Eventually, after rambling the hour away, she dismissed us. My next class was with Renesmee, and for that I was cheerful. We usually communicated using our vampire abilities the entire time the teacher was yapping.

She was already in the room as I entered, sitting in the back of the Biology room at an empty table. She grinned as I sat down on the stool next to her. "Hey dad," she greeted me under her breath.

_How did your first class go? _She thought towards me.

"Didn't pay attention," I whispered.

_I had this teacher named Mr. Stringer. He was this huge, and I mean huge man with this really squeaky voice. It was hilarious. And he kept talking to himself, and muttering things under his breath when we would laugh or talk in his class. He kept saying stuff about how kids these days need to learn some respect._

"I had a teacher back about 40 or so years ago that would tell us to do something, then yell at us a few seconds later for doing just as she asked. She always claimed she told us to do something else," I chuckled to myself at the memory. Her thoughts were hilarious too. I believed that she truly belonged in an asylum.

The rest of the period was spent with my telling my daughter about some of the craziest teachers I had had in all my 37 previous high schools, and about some of the maniac professors I had in college.

Renesmee was in the same class as I was next period, but none of the ones afterwards. After we parted ways to go to our fourth class, my day seemed to drag on unbearably slow.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class and it was now time for lunch. I had lunch with only Bella, Jasper, and Jacob, but at least Bella would be with me. When I entered the cafeteria, I scanned the tables to find the secluded one in the back already taken up by Jasper and Jacob, chatting about their classes. I went through the lunch line, placing random food items onto my tray and then paying for it.

Just as I took my place at the table, Bella entered the cafeteria and our eyes met. She looked upset by something and I had to remind myself to ask her about it later. I could tell she was angry by the way she was slamming things onto her tray and then stomped over to the table. She dropped her tray, the bottle of apple juice falling over, and then she fell into her chair.

She didn't bother picking up the fallen bottle, so I took the liberty of doing it for her. She grabbed my hand as I let go of the apple juice and then looked me dead in the eyes. "What's the matter, love?" I asked quietly, even though Jasper and Jacob were still too absorbed in their conversation to care.

She rolled her eyes. "Just a stupid teenage girl."

"And what did this stupid teenage girl say to you?"

"Not to me. I overheard her going on and on about what a whore I was because of the outfit I'm wearing. And then she starts talking about how you and Renesmee were too close, giving each other these 'affectionate stares' and what not. She said you two probably had some messed up childhood and it screwed you both up to the point of loving each other in all the wrong ways. And then she said that Renesmee was too unattractive to land a guy like you."

As she spoke, I found myself growing angrier and angrier with this human, although I didn't even know her name. My hands clenched into fists and I pulled Bella into my lap to calm myself down. She turned sideways and threaded her fingers in my hair on the back of my head, massaging gently. Immediately I felt a hundred times calmer, and pretty much forgot about anything but my wife.

Keeping one hand still on the back of my head, she grabbed her book off of the table and leaned back into my chest so she could read. I knew that reading was her way of calming down, so I didn't speak when she began. I read a little over her shoulder, but was mostly distracted by her soft fingers working their way down my head and onto my neck.

Bella glanced up at me, but then was distracted by something over my shoulder. Her eyes were blazing, and I knew what was wrong before she even spoke. "That's her."

I turned my head to see a curvy blonde walking towards the lunch line, short skirt, high heels, too tight tank top. She was really rather pretty for a human girl, surprisingly. No, scratch that, she was gorgeous. She had blonde hair, slightly wavy. And her eyes were a mix between a smoky grey and an ocean blue.

"Look at her outfit! I mean, come on! She looks about twenty times more sluttish!" Bella fumed.

The girl's gaze met mine from across the cafeteria, and unlike any other human, she stared straight at me until I looked away. She was not intimidated by me. Hmm, strange.

I peered into her thoughts then, but came up empty. Furrowing my brow, I searched for her thoughts again, but just as the first time, they were silent. Even stranger.

I watched the girl walk to a table with a few other girls and sit down. They began speaking like any other group of teenage girls, which would normally bore me to no end, but I was captivated by her when she spoke. With her wild hand motions and bright smile, I couldn't look away. She glanced at me every so often, and when our eyes met, I swear I saw something in hers. Like…victory?

I shook my head. No, that made no sense. Why would she be victorious because I looked at her? No, I must have been imagining things. As I felt my wife's gentle fingers thread their way back into my hair, I snapped out of my bizarre line of thought.

"So, Jasper," I began, looking towards him. His head shot up, his eyes meeting mine. "Where are we going? Alice suggested that we go to Oregon, because there's an overpopulation of mountain lion somewhere down there. She didn't go into detail."

Jasper, Alice, and I were going hunting this weekend, just the three of us. Bella, Renesmee, and Rosalie would be going next weekend.

"She also said we could stay here in Elkins, if I didn't want to be gone for very long, seeing on how Ness just got back."

"Well do you want to stay here?" he asked.

"You know what I want…but I never get my way, so why are you even asking?" I rolled my eyes. "Alice will be the one to choose, just like she always does."

He smiled sadly, and his thoughts revealed that he missed having lunch with that bouncy, energetic wife of his.

"-was wonderful, Bella! You definitely have to make Edward take you there sometime. Hell, I'll even take you there. I mean, it has just changed so much, the people have changed. No more prejudices against vampires. And Leah has changed drastically, for the better, I might add." Jacob was talking excitedly to Bella about his visit to the Reservation with his wife and daughter while I spoke to Jasper.

Bella smiled brightly, but then it faltered a bit. "What about Seth?"

"I don't know, he wasn't there the entire few months we were. Leah told me he moved when Sue died a few years back." Bella's eyes widened at the new load of information. "Yeah, I know. He just up and left, couldn't handle the memories, I guess."

"Poor kid," Bella murmured.

"He called once, though. He said he couldn't leave work right then, but he'd come up here to Elkins sometime in the near future. He said he's excited to see Sarah. It's crazy how I haven't seen him in over 5 years, I can't even believe it, it just…" he trailed off, shaking his head slightly.

Their conversation ended there, and the remainder of the period was spent in silence. Jasper picked at the food on his tray, Jacob was in deep thought over his trip to the Reservation, and I was watching Bella. She attempted to read her book again, but I could tell she couldn't focus. Her eyes read the same lines several times over before she would close them for a few seconds, then reopen them to try again. I could tell she was upset over something, and I had a pretty good idea of what it was about.

Charlie.

He had passed away just 6 years ago, one year before Sue. It was a completely unexpected heart attack, and Bella was a wreck, as was Renesmee. Even I grieved for him, although we were never close. I knew Bella missed him dearly, and regretted that he never got to meet his great granddaughter.

The bell rang in no time at all. I grabbed Bella's hand as we exited the cafeteria, rubbing small circles on the back of it with my thumb as we walked to my class, as it was on the way to hers. She tilted her head up for a goodbye kiss as my classroom came into view. I leaned down the rest of the way, brushing my lips gently to hers, before she did something completely unexpected. Her hands flew up on either sides of my jaw, holding my lips to hers as she kissed me with all she had in her. I kissed her back just as eagerly, of course, but gave her a confused expression when she finally allowed me to pull back. It was unlike her to show such a public display of affection.

She said nothing as she turned away from me and sauntered down the hallway. I stood there motionless for a moment, until I saw the same human girl from the cafeteria sashay on past me, winking when I caught her eye.

And that's when I figured out that Bella hadn't been as oblivious to my attraction towards this insignificant human girl. She was marking her territory. Oh great. On top of her already being saddened, my straight out staring at the human probably made it worse. But, I simply couldn't look away; it was as if it were impossible. There was something strange about that girl.

Right then I resolved to never even glance her way unless it was absolutely necessary. But of course, I had seemed to have borrowed Bella's luck when I entered the classroom. The only spot available in the entire room was right beside the human. What was her name again? God, I didn't even know her name.

Frowning, I made my way towards the table and plopped down into the vacant chair beside her. She grinned, looking straight ahead, probably thinking I wouldn't notice.

The teacher stood from his chair, clearing his throat. He then began to call out names, checking to make sure who had decided to attend class, and who skipped out.

"Amanda Cooper."

"Here," a tiny girl with huge framed glasses called out quietly.

"Edward Cullen."

"Here"

I didn't hear much of anything else, but I made sure to pay attention to the name being called out whenever the girl sitting next to me called out 'here.'

"Kendall Summers"

"Here."

Her voice was that of an angel's. It was so soft, with a silky undertone. It was so alluring, so perfect.

I couldn't control my head as it turned to face her. She was staring directly at me, and when my gaze met hers, her eyes brightened with some emotion I didn't quite recognize. She smiled, only using one side of her mouth. It nearly took my breath away. She was striking.

She didn't speak to me, although I desired to listen to her angel's voice once again. When class was over, the teacher dismissed us, but I stayed frozen in my seat when I noticed who was standing outside the classroom.

Bella.

And as Kendall passed her, their eyes locked, and Bella shot her a glare, filled with nothing but pure hatred. I was all of a sudden snapped back into reality.

What the hell was I thinking? Beautiful smile? Angel's voice? What the hell was wrong with me?

I took a moment to clear my head before getting up out of my chair and walking out of the classroom. When I reached my wife, I held out my hand for her to take, but she just stared at it for a moment, before turning the opposite way and rushing down the hallway.

Great…just…perfect.

I followed her, running a bit quicker than I should have, but I had to get to her. I finally reached her at the very end of the hallway. She was about to enter her classroom, but I grabbed her arm, pulling her over into a vacant corner of the hallway.

She just stared at me, breathing a little unevenly. I noticed a stray piece of hair, and I reached up to smooth it back, but her hand flew up and grasped my wrist, very tight, I may add, and pushed it back down. "I don't understand," she said quietly, her eyes avoiding mine.

"What don't you understand?" I whispered.

"You were…you were looking at _her,_" she paused for a moment before meeting my gaze. "The same way you look at me."

_Deny it, _my brain shouted at me.

"I don't know what you're talking about." My voice was pure ice, firm

"From the second she walked in the cafeteria you didn't take your eyes off of her once! Not until I put my hand on the back of your neck again. And even then you'd glace at her every few seconds. At first I thought I was just imagining things, that I was just being insecure. But then I waited outside your classroom because my class got out early, and you two were staring at each other, not even trying to hide it. You were smiling, just like you smile when you look at me, or Renesmee, or even Sarah. I just…I don't understand."

"Bella, love, you have nothing to worry about. I think you may have misread the situation because you were upset earlier over Jacob's story."

I placed my palm on one side of her cheek and then placed a kiss on her forehead. "I only have eyes for you, darling."

She smiled slightly, with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry, you're right."

"It's okay, love."

I knew I was lying to her. I knew she believed me. And it killed me.

**Like it? Please, tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns.**

**Okay, as promised, here is chapter three! I hope you're enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying writing it!**

**Chp. 3**

_**Hateful Warnings**_

**BPOV**

Even though Edward reassured me that I had nothing to worry about, I still felt uneasy. It was just…the way he was staring at her, with such longing and complete infatuation. It made me more than slightly nervous.

And it wasn't that I didn't trust Edward. I trusted him irrevocably with my entire existence. It was _her_ that I didn't trust.

There was just something about her, lying right underneath the surface that I couldn't for the life of me figure out. But I was going to, no matter what. She was different, I've discerned that much. But that's practically all I did know.

The next three days passed by uneventfully, unless you count Edward's yearning stares towards the new girl. Although, I took notice that he tried to be more discrete, but it didn't surpass me. I studiously observed her, watching for signs of something, anything, to prove to me that she wasn't a regular human girl.

Edward and I hadn't been as close the past few days. Instead of being together during the night, he had been playing the piano, while I read in our room. It felt…weird, not being with him. I missed that aspect of our immortal life, even though it had only been less than a week since it had happened.

We hadn't spoke much either. He would hold my hand as we walked to class, or would try to make idle small talk, but that was pretty much the extent of our relationship at this moment in time. Maybe a few pecks on the lips here and there. But that was it. It made me feel insecure. No, scratch that, I was downright terrified…..But I trusted him.

On Friday morning, as I was standing in our closet wearing nothing but some lacy undergarments that Alice forced upon me, I felt two hands run down my sides and settle on my hips. My eyes rolled back into my head a little bit, and my breath shot out in a shaky gasp. His cool breath tingled my neck has he placed open-mouthed kisses on the side of it.

I turned around in a small circle so I was facing him, but my breath caught in my throat when I took in his expression. His eyes were clouded with lust, but I knew him well enough to see pain deep within them. I stroked his cheek softly with the back of my fingers. "What's wrong?" I whispered.

His eyes snapped shut then, and when he opened them again, they were different. The pain was still there, but he had tried to cover it up with just faux sadness. "Nothing, it's just…I'm leaving."

I swear my eyes widened to the size of saucers and my heart started beating as quick as a hummingbird's wings, although I knew none of that was even remotely possible.

As he saw my expression, he quickly clarified. "On the hunting trip! With Alice…and Jasper? Don't you remember?"

_Oh thank god._ I sighed in relief.

"I-I'm sor-" I tried to apologize, but he interrupted me. "What did you think that I meant?" his voice was barely above a whisper, and the agony in his expression was back in full force.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I just….I don't know what I thought."

He cradled my face in his hands as if it were the most breakable glass, and his eyes pierced right into mine. "Bella, I swore to you I'd never leave again. And I meant it. How could you even dream of thinking that I'd ever inflict that heartbreak upon either one of us ever again?"

"I don't know, it's just…we haven't been as close as normal lately and I just got…Well, I got worried," I said quickly.

"I'm sorry you felt this way." He pulled me into his arms then, squeezing me to his chest tighter than he ever had before. "You have nothing to worry about," he whispered.

After a few entirely too short moments in his arms, he breathed, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

He leaned back a little to place a kiss on my forehead, both eyelids, my cheeks, and finally, one on my lips. I kissed him back for a few short moments before pulling away, something I very rarely do. He frowned a bit, but then smiled when I met his gaze. "Goodbye, love."

And then he was gone.

I sighed and turned back around to face the now extremely empty, not to mention lonely closet.

As I walked towards one of the sets of opening doors, it reeked of Alice. When I pulled back the double doors, I found exactly as I had expected. An outfit picked out for me, courtesy of Alice, along with a note attached. I gave the outfit a onceover; it really wasn't all that bad. It was a pair of dark-wash jean shorts, extremely short, might I add, with a big brown belt. She paired it with a pink tight fitting Hurley shirt, and finally a pair of matching tennis shoes.

The note that went along with it read:

_Bella,_

_Another freshman disguise._

_Have an excellent day at school, my dear._

_Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye this morning._

_See you Monday morning!_

_Love you,_

_-Alice_

Setting the little post-it note down on my vanity – which I didn't even use but Alice bought me anyways – I made myself presentable for the day.

As I descended down the extravagant wooden staircase, making no sound at all, a plan was forming in my mind. Today would be the day I figured out what was up with Kendall Summers.

I smiled when I reached the bottom. I was dead set on finally figuring out this mystery girl today, and I would stop at nothing until I did. And then my smile faltered. Just because I would figure out the secrecy behind Kendall Summers didn't take away the pain of knowing she was the reason my husband was slipping through my fingers and right into the palm of her hand.

When I entered the study, I noticed Jacob standing with his back towards me, and a sad smile tugged at the corner of my lips. He was just the person I needed to speak with.

"Hey, Jake?" I asked softly.

He turned around then, and the grin on his lips immediately turned into a frown when he took notice of the expression on my face. "What is it, Bella?"

"I just...Have you noticed that lately…" just as I was about to say it, I changed my mind and said something else. "Sarah's been growing a lot quicker?"

I could tell by his expression that he knew I had intended to say something else, but he thankfully decided not to pry. Instead, he responded to my question. "Yeah, Carlisle said that for probably the next two years she'd be growing almost as fast as Ness had in the beginning. He estimated that it'd slow down and return to normal after that." He paused, and then added. "Well, as normal as her growth patterns can be."

"Oh, that's……good," I replied lamely.

"Yeah, at least she'll be able to have a semi-normal childhood. I know Ness really wants that for her, seeing on how she never really got one." His words only further downed my mood, and I could tell he saw that, because he quickly backtracked. "I mean, don't get me wrong here, you and Edward are excellent parents. She just wishes she had a bit more time as a child, that's all. Just….forget about the 'not having one' stuff I said earlier."

- -

Once we got to school, I immediately started on my plan. I discretely followed her to her first class, unfortunately having to listen to the unimportant chatter between her and snooty little in crowd friend. I didn't really pay attention to what they were saying most of the time, but hearing the name of my husband piqued my interest.

"So I saw all the Cullen's arrive today, looks like Edward isn't here. Neither is the blonde curly headed boy, or the short spiky haired freak," a girl with annoyingly blonde hair and a nasally voice explained to Kendall.

I saw a grin appear on both of their lips, and they shared a look of excitement. "Looks like it's time to talk to her," Kendall cheered in a sing-song voice.

And then they parted, the friend continuing down the hall, while Kendall entered her classroom. As I made my way to mine, I pondered her words. _Looks like it's time to talk to her._ What is that supposed to mean?

And who is _her?_

I had a pretty good guess.

Through the rest of the morning classes, I kept my eyes and ears on Kendall, but the subject of my family or husband was never brought up between her and her group of friends again. As I was putting my books in my locker to go to lunch, I felt someone grab my wrist tightly. A bit too tight for someone of her stature. Kendall. She dragged me all the way outside and behind the school before she released me. I easily could have ripped my wrist from her grasp, but I could hurt her, and I didn't want to be the reason our family was in danger of being discovered.

"Why did you drag me out here?" I spit, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Just wanted to have a little talk, that's it," she mirrored my stance, but took several steps forward so our arms were almost touching. Before I could, she spoke again. "I just thought I'd warn you. I want your boyfriend to be mine."

_Boyfriend_, I scoffed. If only she knew. "You can't have what isn't yours."

She chucked. "Oh, but he will be mine, very soon actually."

"He won't," I growled.

Her only response was a smirk, and after a few moments of silence, she continued. "I'll bet that you've been noticing his behaviors been a bit off lately, am I correct?" When I didn't answer, she kept going. "That's all part of the plan, sweetie. You don't even stand a chance against me, so back off."

I shook my head silently, returning the malicious stare she was trying to intimidate me with.

"Back off," she repeated herself.

A thick silence enveloped us as we stood there glaring each other. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I squared my shoulders and mustered up the strongest voice I could. "Never."

And then I turned away from her, stalking off to the front of the school. When I finally got back inside, I found Jacob sitting at our usual lunch table, beasting down on the food on his tray. Without even bothering to buy food props, I stomped over to the table and threw myself dramatically down into one of those annoying plastic chairs. He barely even looked up before he cleaned his tray.

When he finally finished, he tried to start a conversation with me, but it was in vain. Whenever he spoke, he was met with silence. It wasn't that I was mad at him, not at all, I was mad at _her._ It was her fault Edward was pushing away from me. It was her fault that I felt like this. And it was damn well her fault that I could do absolutely nothing to stop her from continuing her plans to lure my husband away from me.

But I wouldn't give up. I couldn't.

She said I stood no chance, but I was going to fight back anyways. She wouldn't win. I now knew that it wasn't Edward's fault that he was attracted to her. She was the reason. Not him. Not ever.

So I would fight. Because he was damn well worth it.

But I still didn't understand her. Was she some bizarre human with a strange, unique power? That happened sometimes, right?

I wasn't sure.

After the bell signaled that my lunch period was over, I shot out of my seat and into the hallway, not paying any attention to anything, or anybody.

As I was passing by the second story girl's bathroom, I heard muffled sobs coming from somebody. I froze in the direct center of the hallway, knowing exactly who those cries belonged to.

Renesmee.

As quickly as I could, I pushed my way by people, trying to get to my wailing daughter. When I finally made it to the door, I shoved it out of my way, probably a bit too hard, as it smacked against the wall causing a loud _BANG!_ But I paid it no mind; I would deal with that later.

I entered the bathroom, and hastily checked all of the stalls, finding that only the last one was occupied. I knocked on it gently, rapping my knuckles on it a couple times. "Hey, Ness?" I spoke, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Mom?" she blubbered.

"Yes, baby, it's me."

The stall door flung open and I was attacked by my daughter's warm embrace. As she cried into my shirt, I stepped all the way into the stall and locked the door behind me. I sat down on the ground Indian style and pulled her into my lap, letting her cry it all out until she was ready to talk about it. I stroked her hair gently, ever so often twirling it around my finger.

After a few minutes she tried to speak, but failed terribly. "I-I, sh-sh-s" and that's about as far as she got.

So I waited patiently. It killed me to see her so upset over something, especially since I had no idea what it was she was upset about. But, I waited. She would tell me when she's ready and calm.

Her sobs had slowly quieted, and she was now only sniffling a bit every so often, but I didn't try to initiate a conversation or demand an explanation. We just sat in silence, her hand was clutched around the fabric of my shirt, and mine was securely holding her head on my shoulder.

She finally broke the silence after several painfully long minutes after she had completely quieted. "I…I think we need to move," she spoke with a small voice.

"What happened, honey?"

She swallowed. "I ran into this girl today. She…threatened me. She told me I was too close to Dad and that he was going to be hers and I couldn't stand in the way of that. She said that if I went near him again, she'd ruin me here at this school. She said that I would never be good enough, or beautiful enough for him, just like the freshman whore that was always attached at his hip. She-she," and then she burst into tears once more, but she continued on speaking. "She said that-that Dad wanted her, and that h-he….that he was no l-longer yours."

"Shhh, baby," I whispered, desperately trying not to have a breakdown myself. "It will be alright."

"Have you seen the way he's been looking at her?" she nearly shouted. "He's not himself! She's doing something to him! I can see it! No, I can feel it! This…this game she's playing, we're losing! He's losing, Mom! We have to leave before she can win."

"I know," I whispered.

We sat there in complete quiet for the rest of the school day. Surprisingly, nobody ever entered the restroom after us, which was some stroke of good luck I never thought I'd see. I never had good luck.

Renesmee had fallen asleep on my lap, her face buried in my neck, and her hand fisted in the sleeve of my shirt, just as she had when she was tiny. It made me smile, she looked so peaceful, a drastic change from the horrific mess she had been earlier.

Brushing her cheek delicately, I whispered loving words into her ear. "Ness, baby, it's time to wake up now." When I got no response, not so loving words came out of my mouth as I shook her gently. "Nessie, wake up, school's almost over." And finally, the not at all loving words broke through as I gave her a sharp, forceful shake. "Renesmee. Get up right now…..Now, or I'll leave you here all by yourself."

That seemed to do the trick, because I felt her squeeze herself to me tighter as her eyes snapped open, clouded from sleep. "I fell asleep?" she asked groggily.

I chucked. "Yes, and you talked like a crazy woman. You're definitely my kid," I teased her.

She smirked, standing up in the confined area and doing her best to stretch her tired limbs. I leapt from the floor gracefully into a standing position and followed her out of the restroom. As I walked out of the door, I inspected the damage I had done to the wall behind it. A small, barely detectable dent. Perhaps nobody would ever notice?

I was counting on that.

We walked straight on out to the car and waited for the others. I rode home with her and Jake, while Rosalie and Emmett wanted to see how fast it would take them to get to New York and back. I had no doubt they'd be back before school tomorrow morning.

The car ride home was silent. Not one word was spoken. Not one.

When we arrived home, I hopped out of the car and up the porch steps fast as lightening, bolting up to my room. I didn't want to talk to anyone.

I threw my school bag down by the door and kicked my shoes off before plopping ungracefully – well, as ungraceful as any vampire could be – down upon Edward and I's glorious bed. I swathed myself up in all of the soft covers, breathing in his strong scent of honey, lilacs, and sunshine. It was positively exquisite.

After getting situated, my mind wandered.

Was Kendall right? Would Edward leave me for this new, strange human? I mean, he fell in love with a human before, it could happen again….

I shook my head. No. I wouldn't think like that. I couldn't. It hurt too much to even consider. Edward wouldn't do that to me. He promised. He loved me more than everything else in the world combined, just as I loved him the same way back. We were mates. Partners. Two pieces to one puzzle, fitting together perfectly.

I would have to speak to Edward whenever he returned from his hunting trip. And quite possibly Alice and Jasper both as well. But I had to have patience. Two long days still awaited me before their homecoming.

And indeed they were.

I didn't move from my bed until Saturday morning when a certain bright eyed granddaughter of mine came to wonder why she hadn't seen me at all yesterday.

"Grandma?" the little three year old poked her head in the doorway. "Grandma, why are you in bed? You don't sleep."

She had to most puzzled, yet completely adorable look adorning her face, and I couldn't help but giggle. She was always too cute for her own good. She reminded me so much of my three favorite people in the entire world, a combination of the people I held closest to my heart. Edward, Renesmee, and Jacob.

"I'm just resting, sweetie," I answered honestly.

"Can I help you rest?"

I smiled. "Of course you can. Come on," I patted the space next to me, and scooted over a bit to make more room, as I was in the dead center of the bed.

She hopped in gracefully and snuggled up to my side, resting her head on my chest. "I missed you," she admitted.

My smile grew even brighter. "I missed you too, baby." I placed a single kiss on her forehead, before silence took us over.

She eventually fell asleep, and I just held her. It felt nice, as I didn't get to coddle anybody anymore, unless you counted Edward. I mean, my child's been grown for nearly 15 years, and my granddaughter has been away for a few months. Edward's been getting all of my unneeded motherly love lately, and he's been greedily taking as much of it as he can get. He especially enjoyed when I rubbed his back or played with his hair, things like that.

And suddenly, I missed him more than I ever had before, other than the time he left while I was still human. Nothing was comparable to that. But still, I felt a strong desire to see him now, and was crushed when I knew I couldn't. Maybe…maybe he'd have his phone on him? I could at least hear his voice.

Without another thought, I snatched my cell phone off of the nightstand and hit the #2 speed dial. He picked up after four rings. Crap, he must have been hunting something before I interrupted. "Yes, dear?"

When I heard his voice, I suddenly didn't care about interrupting whatever he was doing. I had to make his voice speak to me again. "I just…miss you."

Wow, that was lame, even for me.

I heard him chuckle on the other end. "I miss you too, love. Is there any particular reason why you called though? Not that I mind, of course. Hearing your voice for any reason is a treat."

"No, no reason. I'm sorry, it's just a bit lonely," I confessed. "I'll let you get back to what you were doing before I interrupted."

Just as I was about to hang up, he announced, "I'll be back tomorrow."

This threw me off guard. "What?"

"I'm pretty much full, I can head back tomorrow, if you'd like me to."

"No, no, you don't have to, Ed-"

He cut me off. "I'll be there."

"Fine," I huffed. But I couldn't really be upset. I wanted more than anything in this moment for him to be here with me, and I had to resist the urge to squeal when he informed me he'd be coming home early.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you too."

I hung up the phone, impossibly excited for tomorrow to arrive.

**Alright…so who hates Kendall? Can I get a show of hands?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns.**

**Did anyone go see New Moon? Oh my, it was amazing. Not as sad as I thought it would be, but great all the same. The soundtrack fit perfectly and the acting was better than in Twilight. Plus s shirtless Taylor and Robert.**

**Chp. 4**

_**Reconnection**_

**EPOV**

I traveled for miles upon miles, a grand ways ahead of Jasper and Alice, drowning in my own erratic thoughts.

How could Bella have thought I was leaving her? Didn't she remember the promise I had made to her all those years ago? Didn't she trust me at all?

I had been pondering these questions for well over an hour. It simply made no sense. My Bella couldn't possibly believe that I would want somebody else. That was preposterous. As if I'd want anybody else; anybody rather than her. Just thinking it made me want to laugh, but I refrained from doing so.

Images of the human girl had been popping into my mind frequently in the hours I had been running. I couldn't help it, or even remotely try to stop them from flashing into my mind like a huge, brightly lit up, neon sign. I was clueless as to why, but I did know one thing. I didn't want this girl; I could never want anybody other than my Bella. But I still couldn't stop thinking about her. She possessed my thoughts throughout the entire week.

I had tried to ignore it at first, but it was a failed attempt. This girl was taking me over, whether I liked it or not. But for Bella, and for my family, I had to try harder to push this girl away. And I would, no matter what.

I finally halted when I was nearing the border of Oregon at a few hours after we had set off. I leaned casually against the trunk of a fairly large elm tree as I waited for the others to catch up.

Alice finally popped through an opening between two trees and into my view, Jasper following silently behind her. His thoughts confused me, they were showing his disapproval in me, yet he was trying to hide it. I nearly said something, but Alice beat me to the punch. "Jazz and I are going to go north, you can go south. Meet up here Sunday evening?"

I nodded, and then took off. When I was far enough away from where I had begun, I stopped. Taking a deep breath, I shut my eyes and let my senses take over my body.

Somewhere near me was small doe and her fawn, but I ignored them. This hunting trip, I was going for the big stuff. I needed to blow off some steam.

I caught a faint scent in the blowing breeze of mountain lion, and my lips involuntarily twitched up into a pleased smirk.

Before I could think further, I was already creeping up on the unsuspecting animal. As I stalked forward, the creature coming into view, my smile only widened. I hadn't had a wrestle with a mountain lion in well over a month, being busy from moving and such.

I watched as it too was stalking a rather large hare. It was strange to see it hunting. I imagined that it was exactly how I looked, minus the fact that I crept up on my unsuspecting victim using two legs, instead of four.

Before the animal could strike, I flung myself at it, landing on its back while simultaneously snapping the neck. The hare took off faster than any creature I'd ever seen before, positively terrified.

After draining the mountain lion for all it was worth, I threw its dead carcass to the side, running further south.

The light began fading quickly, and before I knew it, it had become dark. I continued to hunt until the sun began rising the next morning.

Once it was fully light outside, I made my closer towards my starting point, so that when tomorrow came, I wouldn't be far. When I sensed another mountain lion not too far ahead of the path I was traveling, I sped up my pace.

Approaching the minute clearing ahead, my target was now in my direct line of sight, resting on the grassy ground. The animal was immense in size, but I could see it was from muscle, not fat. _This will be fun_, I thought to myself with a grin. This one will actually put up a fight. But what could I do to provoke it, other than just attack? I would have to think of something clever.

An idea popped into my mind, and I took a confident step forward, ready to battle my unsuspicious prey. But mid-stride on my second step, my phone buzzed. Loudly.

The animal's head snapped up, and its eyes landed on me almost immediately. Sensing that I was a threat, it stood up in a defensive crouch, growled and backed away slowly. When my phone buzzed for the third time, it turned completely around and flew through the trees, away from me.

Letting the phone buzz once more, I took a deep breath before fishing it out of my pocket and checking the caller ID. _Bella._

"Yes, dear?" I tried my best to keep the annoyance out of my voice. It wasn't her fault she had horrendous timing.

She was silent for a couple of seconds, and I was a bit concerned. I nearly spoke, but she did before I had the chance. "I just…miss you."

Her voice was so delicate, yet delectable. My mouth bunched up at the corners into a blinding grin without my consent and a light chuckle escaped them. "I miss you too, love. Is there any particular reason why you called though? Not that I mind, of course. Hearing your voice for any reason is a treat."

"No, no reason. I'm sorry, it's just....lonely," she admitted, before hurriedly saying, "I'll let you get back to what you were doing before I interrupted."

"I'll be back tomorrow," I blurted out without even giving myself time to think about it.

"What?"

"I'm pretty much full; I can head back tomorrow, if you'd like me to." It was a lie, but I'd do anything to make her happy, even if it were sacrificing the most ideal of hunting trips.

"No, no, you don't have to, Ed-" she tried to get me to change my mind, but I was having none of that. I knew she missed me. I hadn't exactly been the best of husbands lately, but I was going to change that.

"I'll be there." No more of this Kendall stuff. It was just Bella and I from now on.

I would resist the urge to stare at, to want, to possess this insignificant little human girl. Bella was what I wanted and what I needed. All that I wanted and that I needed.

"Fine," she grumbled, but I could hear the underlying excitement laced in that one single word.

"I love you, Bella." It was the single most honest statement of my entire existence. I hadn't shown it lately, but I would. I loved her more than words could describe, nothing could compare to her. She was the greatest thing in my entire being.

"I love you too."

When she hung up the phone, I kept mine still pressed to my ear for a few moments. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Thoughts of Kendall invaded my mind, and I scrambled away from them as quickly as possible. I didn't want to think about her anymore.

The remaining hours of my discontinued hunting trip were spent sinking my teeth into anything and everything I could find, so I would be full before heading back to my Bella. Around ten Sunday morning, I decided I should be starting for home, so I picked up my phone to let Alice to let her and Jazz know I was heading back early.

She answered on the first ring. "Hello, Edward!" Her voice was predictably cheery, just as it always is.

"Hi, Alice, I called to let you-" I tried to explain, but she interrupted me. "I know why you're calling. Psychic, remember?" she giggled.

"Oh," I answered lamely, not knowing what to say. After a long and extremely awkward pause, I spoke again. "Well, I should probably go now. Bye, Alice."

"Bye, Ed." And then she hung up. I was partially annoyed at how she shortened my name, but it wasn't worth mentioning.

The rest of my morning was spent speeding back to Elkins as quickly as I could run. I reached home at about just about two and smiled. I was glad to be back.

I ran up the enormous wooden porch steps and entered through the thick, mahogany door. The familiar scents of each of my family members reached my nostrils and I inhaled deeply. I hadn't realized how much I missed them, albeit I had only been gone for less than two days. Walking through the foyer and into the living room, I spotted Carlisle and Esme curled up on the couch reading the same book. They both glanced up when I entered, but otherwise made no intention of acknowledging my presence.

Continuing through the rest of the living room, I raced up the staircase until I reached the third floor, where Bella and I's room was located. I paused just as I reached the entrance, hearing voices from the other side of the door.

"Ness, you know-" Bella began, but was cut off.

"I know that it isn't his fault, but I just can't look at him in the same way anymore!" I recognized the voice of my daughter immediately.

"He's not himself. Once we get out of here, he'll be the same way again. Hell, just being away from her made him the same again. We just need to hold out for another couple of weeks."

I was almost completely sure they were talking about me.

"By then, she could have already stolen him away from us!" my daughter shouted.

Bella took a deep breath. "We can't just make everybody up and move, Ness! It wouldn't be right, we just got here. He was acting normal on Friday morning, and when I spoke to him yesterday morning, he was fine. Maybe he's over it."

Okay, I definitely knew they were talking about me. They were talking about my reaction towards the human girl. Kendall.

Deciding to make my presence known, I twisted the knob and pushed the door back. Both pairs of eyes widened when they discovered that I had overheard their little discussion. I looked down immediately, avoiding their gazes, ashamed. Ashamed because I knew they were absolutely right.

- -

**BPOV**

Renesmee entered my room sometime Sunday afternoon, wearing a thoughtful frown. "What's wrong?" I asked from my place on the couch. I gently sat down the book I had immersed myself in to keep my mind occupied, and gave her my full attention.

"I've been…thinking," she said quietly.

"And what have you been thinking about?"

"Dad," she murmured after a long pause.

"What about him?"

She sighed and moved quickly across the room, throwing herself down onto the cushion next to me. "We need to leave here, Mom. Before school tomorrow. I have a bad feeling. We just have to get out of here."

"Everything will be okay, sweetie. I still have to talk to the rest of the family before-"

She interrupted my sentence. "No, we have to leave. We can't go back. He's different, Mom. I just…I can't handle seeing either of you being hurt, and I can see this is hurting you both. This girl, she's changing him! The way he stares at her, he's been completely distant from all of us since Monday, it hurts seeing him like this, Momma."

"Ness, you know-" I began, but was cut off.

"I know that it isn't his fault, but I just can't look at him in the same way anymore!" She cried.

"He's not himself. Once we get out of here, he'll be the same way again. Hell, just being away from her made him the same again. We just need to hold out for another couple of weeks."

"By then, she could have already stolen him away from us!" she was shouting now.

I took a deep, calming breath, in order to keep myself from falling apart. "We can't just make everybody up and move, Ness! It wouldn't be right, we just got here. He was acting normal on Friday morning, and when I spoke to him yesterday morning, he was fine. Maybe he's over it."

She shook her head, tears in her eyes. She was about to speak again, but we both heard the subtle twisting of the door knob, and our panicked gazes shot up towards one another. When the door opened, it revealed Edward, and Ness and I's eyes widened in unison. How did we not hear him coming?

He kept his eyes downcast, and when he spoke, I don't think I had ever heard him sound so vulnerable. "She's right."

I stood from my place on the couch, moving towards him slowly as his eyes lifted to meet mine. I caught sight of the anguish lying within them, and my heart broke. He swallowed noisily. "Bella, we have to leave. I can't be around her anymore. I don't know what's happening to me, what she's doing to me, but it won't stop. I can't…I can't make it stop."

Sensing this was a private moment, Renesmee gracefully exited the room without another word, shutting the door quietly behind her. I crossed the rest of the distance between Edward and I, and ducked my head, forcing him to meet my gaze.

He looked at me for a long moment before deciding to speak. His voice was low, very rough and unlike its usual velvety smoothness. "I'm so sorry, Bella."

"It isn't your fault," I assured him.

Anger flared up in his eyes, but I didn't even flinch. I expected this reaction. "But it is my fault! How can you even try to tell me that I am not the one who is to blame for this?"

"She isn't normal," I whispered as I stepped impossibly closer to him. "She's a human with a power. I don't know how it's possible, but she's the reason you're like this."

Disbelief was written all over his expression, so I explained to him what had happened Friday at school. "The girl, she had warned both Renesmee and I that you would be hers and that we could do nothing about it. Obviously she knows she has some sort of power, and is intentionally using it on you."

"If-if I was stronger, I could of-" he tried to blame himself again, but I was having none of that.

"It. Isn't. Your. Fault." God, it seemed as though we had this argument at least fifty times a year nowadays. Why couldn't he just realize that other people besides him make mistakes or do malicious, evil things? Not that he did malicious, evil things, but that wasn't exactly my point here.

"We need to leave," he repeated his earlier statement.

"Okay," I whispered. "We'll tell the family when Alice and Jasper get-" I tried to talk, but was interrupted.

"Can we go somewhere, just you and me? Alone? I want…no, I need to be with just you." his voice was barely a whisper, and he bit his lip anxiously.

As if I'd say no. "Of course, whatever you need, honey."

I cupped his cheek in my hand and guided his lips gently towards mine, kissing them sweetly when they touched my own. When I pulled back, Edward buried his face into my neck, whispering, "Thank you."

We spent the rest of the day holed up in our room. And we didn't go to school the next morning, unlike the rest of the family. We just spent our time together, whether it was lying in our bed talking, kissing, making love, among other things.

When everybody else got home from school the next day, we finally decided to make an appearance. So after getting dressed and making sure we looked presentable; we walked hand in hand downstairs to the living room. We came upon Rosalie and Alice giving Renesmee both a manicure and a pedicure, while Jacob read some sports magazine in one of the black leather lounge chairs.

"Where's Sarah?" Edward asked as we passed by him.

"With Esme," he muttered, barely paying attention to us.

"That's helpful," Edward mumbled under his breath.

Jacob sighed, and lay his magazine down on his lap, shooting Edward an annoyed look. "Esme had to go to the grocery store, and Sarah wanted to tag along. Helpful enough, or do you need the store name, coordinates, and the approximate time that they departed?" Without waiting for an answer, he went back to reading with a roll of his eyes.

"Stupid mutt," Edward grumbled, too low for anybody but me to hear. I giggled and pulled him with me to Carlisle's study, where we found him doing paperwork behind his desk.

"Hey, Carlisle?" I asked quietly as I popped only my head into the room. "Edward and I would like to speak with you."

He stood immediately, gesturing for us to sit down in the two chairs situated in front of his desk. "Of course," he spoke, his eyes filled with concern.

We filed into the room and took the seats he offered to us. Once we were situated, I glanced over at my husband. He nodded in my direction, silently telling me to talk. With that, I turned to face my father-in-law once again. "I'm not sure if you already know, but lately Edward's had a slight problem with a one of the girls from our school…" I trailed off, but resumed when he nodded. "We're unsure what she's doing to him, but we've come to the conclusion that it isn't his fault. She holds some sort of…attraction to him, and he can't shake it off. She has threatened both Renesmee and I, telling us that he would be hers and we could do nothing to stop it, which leads me to believe that she is intentionally doing this to him. So, we've decided that we're moving. We won't inconvenience the rest of the family, so we'll be going alone somewhere for awhile. We don't know where yet, but we're planning on leaving sometime this week. We just thought-"

Renesmee burst through the door, effectively interrupting my sentence. "No."

All three of us were staring at her, shocked. She slammed the door shut behind her, right in Jacob's alarmed face. She took two quick steps closer to us, her eyes brimming with tears of anger. "You are _not_ leaving."

"Sweetie, we have-" Edward tried to talk to her, but she was having none of that. "I haven't seen either of you in months, and then when I finally get home, my parents ignore me the whole time." When we tried to defend ourselves, she just kept talking, not even allowing us to get a word out. "Dad's been going through whatever the hell this Kendall girl has been doing to him, and as a result Mom's been depressed because of it. Neither of you have even asked me about my trip, how it went, or even told me that you loved or missed me. I won't allow myself or my daughter being separated from either of you right now."

She took a deep breath, and then continued on, with determination fiercely prominent in her voice. "You're either not leaving, or you're taking us with you."

**Poor Renesmee. And don't think for a second that the drama is over. Far from it, actually. I'm unsure of how many chapters this will have as of right now, maybe a lot, maybe not that many more. Who knows?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**So, here's first chapter with their new school, with a little bit more Edward/Bella fluff. I think they needed it for now.**

**Chp. 5**

_**Adjusting**_

**BPOV**

My fingers tightened nervously around my husband's as we silently approached our new school. It was only a week after Renesmee demanded that she would follow us wherever we planned to be going. Well, as a result, the whole family generously offered to move for us.

So here we were, starting two weeks late at a new school. Fortunately, I got to be a sophomore with Edward this time around, so our schedules were perfectly matched.

And we went to our classes the next following weeks, pretending to be regular teenage humans.

I had to admit, it wasn't so bad at this school. The teachers were all fairly pleasant, and didn't subject the 'new kids' to any spotlight attention our first days here. For that, I was extremely grateful.

And Edward has been…wonderful. He felt the need to make up for the way he had been acting at our old school. He basically did every little thing I told him to do, and has been incredibly sweet. He attempted to lavish me with gifts, but I would not accept them. There was of no need for his apologetic behavior. I wasn't angry or upset with him. I knew he was under the influence of somebody else. But of course, he was being his typical self, and blamed himself for it.

One after noon, I was especially eager to get home and spend time with my granddaughter. I hadn't realized how little I've seen of her the past few months. I'd be sure to change that immediately.

I scurried up the front porch steps of our recently purchased home. Carlisle and Esme had owned it before, at one point, but hadn't for over thirty years. They re-bought it just last month when we decided where we would relocate.

Sarah was sitting before the TV, her face utterly blank as she was sucked into some cartoon show. I almost chuckled at the sight of her, as she looked just like me when I was a child. Sneaking up behind her, I wrapped my arms around her miniature waist, throwing her up in the air before catching her. Her heartbeat sped up considerably, as I had taken off guard, but then she giggled, and it made my entire day. "Grandma Bella," she squeaked out, her words fully developed even though she was still very young.

"Hey, baby," I cooed into her ear. I nuzzled it, causing another round of giggles to escape her lips.

I took a seat on the couch with her cradled in my lap. She reverted back to watching whatever it was on the television, while I stroked her hair, running my fingers through it. It was beautiful, and apparently genetic, which had me longing for my husband and daughter, although I could hear them playing a game of chess in the library. Edward had been making an attempt to spend more time with her since what had occurred at our last school had affected her so personally. I decided to leave them be, and just enjoy this moment with my granddaughter.

Not too long after that thought, Emmett strolled into the room, a colossal grin planted on his dimpled cheeks. "Hey, pretty ladies," he greeted with a wink.

"Hey, Em," I replied, but Sarah made no response. "Would you like to join us?"

He nodded and threw himself onto the sofa cushion beside me, bouncing me as the couch vibrated from his enormous force. He slung one of his arms carelessly across my shoulders, and with the other lifted Sarah onto his lap. He adored the child almost as much as I did, and you could clearly see it as he rubbed her back lovingly. We stayed like that for awhile, but I don't think either of us was watching the cartoons. He was smiling down at her the whole time, his grin blinding whenever she would laugh at one of the ridiculous characters on the screen.

I closed my eyes, relaxing my head on the back of the couch. The cushion on the opposite side of where Emmett sat sunk down suddenly, and I nearly moaned as soft lips began caressing my neck gently. I leaned into Edward's touch, using my hands to guide his lips to mine. I kissed them sweetly for a few moments before leaning back into him as his arms twisted around my waist.

The show ended after a few minutes, and Sarah came out of her trance. "Emmett! Let's go find Aunt Rose and maybe we could go racing again!" she squealed eagerly.

"Sure thing, kiddo. Is that okay with you, man?" he asked right as Jacob stepped into the living room. He nodded, and Emmett flew up the stairs with a cheering Sarah.

Renesmee appeared at Jake's side, taking his hand. They plopped down on the couch in an embrace much like the one Edward and I were in, and Renesmee snatched up the remote. She switched it to some movie channel, but I didn't pay close attention.

Instead, I heaved the mental block out of my mind for a few scarce moments so that Edward could read my mind. Something I rarely allowed him to do.

_Hey, want to go upstairs…? _I thought idly, waiting for him to pick up on it.

It didn't take long for him to figure out that the new voice had come from me, as he grabbed me securely by the waist and whizzed us to our bedroom, where we stayed blissfully for the rest of the night.

- -

I sighed in content as the two arms around me tightened. I twisted in his embrace so that I our faces were less than an inch apart. "Morning," I whispered as I pecked his chin softly. And then again on his forehead, and one last time on his nose. It scrunched up playfully when my lips touched it and I smiled.

He leaned over so he was hovering above me and inclined his face downward to give me a proper kiss. I moved my lips against his gently at first, but they sped up considerably as the seconds ticked by, and when he finally lifted his head, I was panting and desperate for him to kiss me again. But the jerk hopped out of bed and walked to the closet as if nothing had happened.

I was having none of that. I jumped out after him, grasping his hand firmly and pushed him back onto the mattress. He chucked as I crawled on top of him, fully intent on forcing him to finish what he started.

- -

"Ugh, I my hair looks like a haystack," I complained as I gazed at myself in the full length mirror hanging in our closet.

Edward scoffed as he pulled on a pair of jeans. "You hair is lovely when it's down, you ought to wear it like that today," he suggested and it was my turn to scoff.

"Yeah, that'd just give me another reason to stand out from the Cullen family."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

I nearly rolled my eyes at him for missing the obvious, but I held them in place. "Come on, Edward. I'm so basic and uninteresting next to all of the rest of you. I mean, it's not that I honestly mind what my hair looks like, it's just I don't want to make myself stand out even more than I already do."

My explanation made him pause for a moment before he spoke. "You're exactly right, but not about the basic and uninteresting part," he commented as he took a step closer to me. "But you definitely stand out…..And you want to know why?"

His face was just inches from mine as his two soft hands cradled my face as if it were his most prized possession. I bobbed my head up and down, not sure if I wanted to know the answer. He smiled softly, his voice dropping several octaves so that it was just faintly above a whisper. "Because you're the most beautiful of them all. In each thought I read, at any school we attend, you make the most gorgeous of females horrifyingly jealous, and every male within ten yards would do anything to claim you as theirs."

I was stunned into silence, not even making an attempt to respond to him. "You're positively stunning, and you don't even realize it. What a shame," he walked back to his side of the closet shaking his head, throwing a tee shirt swiftly over his toned body.

My mouth was slightly agape, gawking after him as he passed me by. "You should get dressed, love. We don't want to be late," he jolted me back into awareness as he exited our closet.

_My husband is extraordinary,_ I thought to myself as I dressed for the school day.

**EPOV**

I growled at the unopened textbook that was lying in front of me on the wooden desk. Now, it wasn't the book's fault I was irritated, of course. It was the absurd thoughts that were filling my mind, overflowing into the depths of my brain. I couldn't seem to get that damn woman out of my head, and it's been nearly two months. Two months!

My frustration was at its limit, and the guilt was overwhelming. I felt horrid for still wondering about the inconsequential human girl, even though Bella had drilled into my head that it wasn't my fault.

I still couldn't help but question that if I were stronger, that I could resist the temptation. That I could have easily ignored the girl, and we wouldn't have had to switch schools.

If only.

But I wasn't strong, and I never had been. Time and time again, Bella had been the one to come to my rescue, she had been my rock.

A shrill chiming sounded out deafeningly, echoing throughout the entire building and signaling the end of class. As I approached my wife's locker to wait for her to arrive, a mahogany streak caught my attention. I turned around just in time to see a short brunette student sashaying away from me. She was faced away from me, so I could not see anything besides her dark hair, but something about this girl drew my eyes to her.

A familiar feeling tingled in my spine as two fingers danced their way across my spinal column and then ghosted downwards to rest on the small of my back. I spun around with a grin to find none other than Bella, a wicked smile resting upon her lips. "Hey, handsome," she whispered.

"Why hello there, gorgeous." I smirked as I leaned against the locker beside her, waiting until she had everything she needed before walking alongside her outside the entrance of our school.

"So, how was your day?" she inquired as we approached our car.

I rolled my eyes. "Typical high school day in a small town. Gossip, boring lectures, and insane thoughts." She giggled as I pulled the passenger side door open enough for her to slide in.

I settled in the driver's seat and gently took her petite hand into my larger one. I proceeded to then ask her the question she presented me with. Her eyes brightened as she explained that her Literature class would be reading Romeo and Juliet.

"Haven't you tired of that book? You've read it quite possibly a million times." I sighed.

"Not at all," she chirped. "I could read it a million more times and still be completely in love with it."

"In love with it?" I teased. "Hmm, now you're making me jealous."

She stuck her tongue out at me playfully. "That's mature," I commented under my breath, earning me a slap to the back of the head.

"Hey, no violence," I laughed. "Any harder and that might have actually hurt."

She glared at me before turning in her seat to face the windshield with a pout, her arms crossed over her chest. Just then, Alice and Jasper slid gracefully into the backseat, interrupting the apology I was about to bestow upon her.

During the car ride home, Alice and Bella talked animatedly about their all girls hunting trip this weekend. Jasper remained quiet, as did I. We reached home in only minutes, and Alice shot out of the car, racing up the porch steps so she could inform Esme of hers and Bella's plans. I dashed to Bella's door, opening it for her like a gentleman. She smiled at me as she enclosed my hand in hers, and I couldn't fight it when my lips twitched up in a smile upon seeing hers. She was so beautiful, breathtakingly so.

Sarah popped out of the open front door, a grin on her face as she darted over, hugging my leg tightly when she reached us. I leaned down, picking her up with one hand as the other still held Bella's. Sarah's tiny arms squeezed my neck as she eagerly recalled every aspect of her day with Esme.

"-and then Grandma Esme and I worked in the garden for a few hours. Then sun came out, and she sparkled like a diamond! Just like you and Grandma Bella do when we go outside!"

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Bella inquired.

Sarah nodded her head excitedly. "Yes!" And then her little brow creased. "Why does Daddy always say he thinks it's freaky when you guys glitter?"

"Whoa there, squirt," Jacob quickly removed the child from my arms. "Let's go inside."

I rolled my eyes as my grip tightened on my wife's hand.

The rest of the night passed by uneventfully, as did the following week. As the weekend approached, I felt an impending sense of dread fill me. I didn't fancy being away from Bella. The thoughts that still occurred, the feeling that I belonged back in Elkins still coursed through me, and I was petrified.

**Yes, don't be fooled. Kendall wasn't forgotten, and the drama is NOT over. There's still more to this story! Thanks for reading, tune in next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**So…let me start off by saying, I adore Sarah Marie Black, so I'd love to hear what you all think of her. Anyways, this is more of a fluffyish chapter, but another **_**important**_** character is introduced at the very end. Here we go! **

**Chp. 6**

_**While You're Away**_

**EPOV**

"Goodbye, I love you, don't you and the guys do something stupid while we're gone." Bella warned as she pecked me on the lips for about the tenth time that morning. Not that I minded, of course.

"I'll be good," I promised.

She bit her lip apprehensively. "It's not you that I'm worried about. More like Emmett wanting to do something dumb, and you going along with it because you have nothing better to do."

"Bella, come on!" Alice called from the bottom of the staircase.

A small frown tugged the corners of Bella's lips downward. "I don't want to leave you," she confessed in a murmur.

I tilted my head forward so our foreheads were touching. "I'll be here when you get back. Go on, go have fun with the girls," I whispered to her. I placed my lips at the top of her hairline and held them there for a few moments. "I love you too," I said as I leaned away.

She smiled sadly and then disappeared from my line of sight. I listened closely as the women of the house filed out the door, leaving only us guys and Sarah left behind. Hmm…this should be fun. With that thought, I walked quietly in the direction of my granddaughter's room. If I couldn't have my Bella here with me, at least I could have a piece of her.

When I entered, she was still clothed her sky blue fuzzy pajamas, sitting in front of her doll collection. I silently crouched behind her, snatching her up into my lap. She squealed loudly, her heart racing in her chest until she twisted around to find that the culprit was only me. "You scared me, Grandpa!" she yelled, her voice sharp.

"Sorry, love, but that was rather humorous," I chuckled.

She rolled her eyes, but snuggled up in my embrace. "Would you like to meet my dolls, Grandpa?" she asked excitedly.

"Sure, why not?"

"Okay!" She selected a pale, porcelain doll with thick blonde curls and a fancy purple dress out of the arrangement and held it up. "This is Lillian. Aunt Rose told me that was her middle name, and this doll reminds me of her," she explained before setting it back in its place.

She then picked an olive skin toned doll, its light hair thinner and straight, with more detailed facial work. "This is a doll that Grandma Esme got me right before we moved here. She said she was shopping and thought of me when she saw it."

"What did you name her?"

"Kendall."

I blinked; a bit shocked at the single word that had just come out of her mouth. "Why did you pick that name?" I wondered aloud, my tone of voice a bit harsher than I meant for it to sound.

She shrugged, not noticing my tense form, as she put the doll away. "I don't know, I heard Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper talking about someone named Kendall the day before I got her. I think that name is pretty. Do you think it is?"

"Oh," I replied. "Um…yes, that name is very pretty, honey."

She then proceeded to finish introducing me to the rest of her dolls, but I barely paid any attention. She had unknowingly brought the one thing I was trying with all my strength to avoid to the very forefront of my mind. I shut my eyes tightly, willing away the thoughts that were conjuring in my head.

"Are you alright?" Sarah whispered from her seat on my leg, her hand resting gingerly on my cheek.

I took a deep, calming breath. "Yes, I'm fine."

My answer seemed to appease her, because she hopped out of my lap and drug me into her closet, demanding that I assisted her in picking out a suitable ensemble for the day.

"What do you think?" she asked me as she held up both a shimmering pink blouse, and a simple dark blue tank top that had frilly lace sewn to the bottom hem.

I pointed towards the indigo top held up by her right hand, but her petite face scrunched up in distaste. "Really? I liked the pink one."

"Then wear the pink one," I suggested.

"But it's hot outside! And the pink one is thicker and has sleeves," she complained.

"Then wear the blue one."

"But if I wear the blue one, then it might not look right with the pair of jeans I want to wear!"

I rolled my eyes at her antics. "You're not going to agree with whichever one I choose, so why don't you pick which one you would like to wear."

She stared at me for a long moment, her eye brow raised. I sighed. "Just pick one."

"I need your help," she grunted.

"I like the blue one," I said honestly.

"Hmmm…" she thought about my answer for a couple of seconds. "Well, I like the pink one." She discarded the tank top onto the floor and then shooed me out so she could get dressed.

She opened the door when she was decent and came strutting out, modeling her choice of attire for me. She, of course, had on the pink short sleeved shirt, most likely only because I had chosen the blue one, and a pair of dark wash blue jeans. Little pink flip flops adorned her elfin feet, and I could see a bright green polish on her toes.

"You know your toenail polish doesn't match your outfit, right?" She just shrugged, whereas Alice would have had a conniption.

When we reached the living room, her hand firmly grasped within mine, Jacob shot up from his resting place on the couch. "Finally! God, you take forever to get ready, Sarah."

I arched an eyebrow at his action. "Sarah and I are going to breakfast. I told her an hour ago to go get dressed and come down when she was ready. I guess you went and distracted her."

I smiled sheepishly. "Guilty."

With that, Jacob and Sarah left, and the only remaining people in the house were Jasper, Emmett and I, as Carlisle was at the hospital. "So, what do you guys want to do?" Emmett questioned while I plopped down beside him on the sofa.

"Nothing that will cause us any problems; Bella already gave me a lecture that I wasn't allowed to let you convince me to doing something stupid….which I know you will attempt to."

"Alice gave me the same lecture," Jasper mentioned.

"Fine," Emmett muttered. "I guess we can do something unexciting, like play chess," he grimaced.

"You like chess," I reminded him.

He rolled his eyes as if I had just said the upmost ridiculous of things. "Yes, but it gets boring after playing it so many times."

"Hmm…" I pondered his words for a moment. "Good point."

"Well, we could always go play football in that abandoned field a few miles behind the house. We'd have uneven teams, but it could still be fun. That is, if Emmett doesn't pop the ball again," Jasper suggested.

"Hey, that was one time! And I didn't mean to, it wasn't even my fault."

"Oh, really?" Jasper asked, amused.

"Yes, really, it was Edward's fault."

"My fault?" I shrieked, surprised he'd accuse me.

"Yeah! You threw it way too hard for how close I was to you. I almost didn't even catch it!"

"Oh, whatever, you totally fumbled it, so don't even attempt trying to blame me. Let's just go."

- -

When we returned, we were caked in mud, grass, and sopping wet from the rain. The teams had been Jasper and I against Emmett, since he was big enough to hold his own, and not surprisingly, he still won even though he was his team's only player. I dashed up to my room, abandoning my clothing on the bathroom floor as I took a long, scorching shower to rid myself of the filth that covered my body.

I dressed hastily afterwards, rounding up my soiled clothing and placing it in a trash bag, and then proceeding to throw it out. When I was done with that, I roamed downstairs to find my granddaughter, hoping she'd be up for another piano lesson.

But sadly, and a bit surprisingly, she was fast asleep, wrapped up in Jasper's arms as he watched some Civil War program on the television.

Shaking off my disappointment, I approached my grand piano. Once seated, I stretched my fingers over the keys with a warm smile gracing my lips. I quickly began hitting the notes that played Esme's favorite song, that over the years I had revised and tweaked to make even more perfect. The song rapidly came to a close, and it flowed right into Bella's Lullaby. But I hadn't touched that. It was the exact same melody I had first written when we met. I never wanted the harmony of this to change. It was my love for her poured out passionately into a composition that I would forever hold close to my heart. My feelings for her would never change, and therefore, neither would the song.

I continued playing, undisturbed, all throughout the night until the sky began to brighten into its customary morning grey. As I approached my closet, I began speculating how the day would turn out. Carlisle would be staying home from work to keep an eye on Sarah, while only Jacob, Jasper, Emmett, and I had to bear another unpleasant day of high school hell. I wondered how the humans would react to all of the female Cullen members absent from our little clan.

When all the guys were dressed and prepared to go, we climbed into Emmett's jeep and set off. As we walked in a pack across the parking lot, several students' thoughts hit me, some louder than others.

_Where the hell are those hotties that always tag along with them boys? Mmm, mmm, that little crazy colored hair one is totally into me. I bet she would be so good in-_

I immediately tuned that guy out in fear that if I listened to his thoughts about my daughter any longer, than he would be too dead to think about anything.

_Now that's odd. I wonder where those girls are. I hope they haven't caught that nasty stomach bug that's been going around. _A kind young lady from my third period thought. I really admired her genuine sympathy; she reminded me of Angela Weber, Bella's good friend from her human days.

_Yes! Yes! Finally! That clingy little brunette is gone! Aha, now I can claim the seat next to the god himself during Geometry, _thought a girl whose mind never drifted away from me for more than ten seconds at a time. God, how annoying, and Bella isn't even here to prevent her from attempting to sit by me like she frequently has to!

_Oh my god! Jacob looked at me! Ah! Does this mean he likes me? Oh, I have to go tell Janet!_

_Damn, I was really looking forward to sitting with Rosalie in Geometry._

_God, those guys just think they're so hot! I bet they couldn't take me, current captain of the football team! Yeah, they are such losers. Those chicks are probably only with them because their pretty boy faces._

I rolled my eyes at the adolescent thoughts flitting among the brains of the humans surrounding me. I blocked them off as we entered the building; I didn't want to listen to them any longer. Being a mind reader had many advantages, but that didn't signify that I had to enjoy it. It was especially difficult to deal with in large crowds, or whenever I made love to my wife while having to listen to Emmett think about what he'd look like in spandex. That was an experience I'd _never_ like to repeat.

The day passed by unbearably slow. I think the highlight of my day was when Emmett had to sit by himself at lunch and I tuned into his lonely thoughts. Poor guy.

With only my final class left, I was nearly ready to burst. I wanted to escape from here and return home to my Bella so badly, it was absurd. She would be back late this night, or early the tomorrow morning, as the girls were only taking a quick trip.

I smirked as I imagined all of the things I would do to her when she arrived home.

My drifting thoughts were abruptly interrupted as an unidentified someone slammed their books down on the lab table I was currently residing at. My eyes traveled to the person attached to the jarring noise, only to widen considerably.

Gold locked with an endless, chocolate brown, as I gazed into the young woman's eyes. She side-smirked for a few moments before occupying the stool that rested beside my own, but even then her stare was not broken from mine. "Hello." Her voice was like liquid velvet, unbearably sensual.

"Uh…hi?" It came out more like a question.

She giggled, her eyes crinkling in the most beautiful of ways. "You're name's Edward, correct?" she asked, her face tinting a lovely pink. Oh Lord, how she reminded me of my Bella in her human years.

Realizing she had spoken again, and I had yet to reply, I answered her. "Yes, Edward Cullen. And you are…?" My sentence trailed off, waiting for her to fill in the blank.

"Allison Gray," she grinned.

Subsequently, the thought of my wife slithered into my mind once again without warning, leaving me with an overwhelming sense of guilt. Here I was, only two months after the human predicament we had in Elkins, doing the exact same thing. What was wrong with me? My resolve steeled, and I instantly turned away from Allison. This was going to end, whatever it was, before it had the chance to bloom into another crisis.

She tried speaking on a few different occasions throughout the lesson, but I didn't even risk a glance in that direction. I was _not_ going to be anything less than the perfect husband to Bella. No, not anymore. Anything less than that would be purely unacceptable.

**Hmm…so, how was it? I think I already hate Allison, although she's only had about two lines, hah. It'd be great to hear your opinions, or predictions for who/what this Allison girl is and what she has to do with my story. Oh, and I've made a banner for this story! I'm unsure of when it will be put up, but hopefully soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Alright, so this is severely late, and I'm sorry. But I've been VERY busy the past couple of days with all of the things going on in my life, and just haven't found the time to post. But rest assured, the next chapter should be posted in just a couple days.**

**Chp. 7**

_**Appalling Visions**_

**BPOV**

"So, can I please leave now?" I wondered aloud impatiently.

Alice rolled her eyes at me for the umpteenth time. "Bella, I've already told you; we're waiting on Rosalie. I don't see why you have to be back right this second anyways! It's not like you gave him a specific time. He's capable of waiting a few additional minutes," she grumbled.

A streak of blonde bolted through the forest and into the minute field we had been lingering at the past ten minutes. "Finally!" I shouted.

She grinned ruefully. "Sorry, Bella."

Before I could reply to her apology, Alice cut in as we began running through the trees. "So…what has been up with him lately? Is he…okay now? Like…back to normal…?" she trailed off awkwardly.

"I think so," I answered cautiously. "This girl, though, something needs to be done. She can't keep doing this to people. _We_ need to do something."

"I agree," Rosalie growled. "I swear, Bella, you have the kindness of a saint. If that little girl went within two feet of my Emmett, doing the things she did to Edward, saying the things she said to you, I'd rip her in two. I don't care if she's human or not."

I shook my head glumly. "I wanted to, believe me, I did, still kind of do. But…she's human. It would go against everything our family stands for. I'd be a killer, a murderer, and I couldn't live with that on my conscious for the rest of my existence. It'd eat away at me every single moment."

"It'd make the world a better place," she muttered quietly.

With a sigh, I kept dashing through the green, watery woods. I felt someone take my hands from either side, and glanced up to find the faces attached to them. Alice and Esme. I smiled, squeezing my fingers around theirs.

"Are you okay?" Esme asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine," I breathed.

Taking a glimpse behind me, I noticed Rosalie and Renesmee had their arms locked, conversing too low for me to hear what they were speaking about.

"We know this has been difficult for you, too, Bella," Alice murmured. "And we're here, if you need to talk, or vent, or have us kick this human girl's ass for you," she winked.

I chuckled softly. "I wish you could…No, more like I wish that _I_ could."

"We do too."

- -

Dashing up the porch stairs, I was blocked by a wall of solid, marble flesh. "Edward!" I sang, throwing my arms around him.

He chuckled, pecking me on the nose gently. "It seems as though you missed me," he raised one perfect eyebrow, settling his hands on my hips.

Darting my eyes to the surrounding area, I noticed that the rest of the women had already gone inside while I was blissfully wrapped up in my own little world of Edward. "Yes, very much so," I answered his question, reaching on my tip toes to place my lips on the corner of his jaw, ghosting them upwards to his mouth.

"I missed you too," he murmured against my lips as they pressed together.

When we parted, I didn't allow any distance, resting my forehead against his. "That's a very good thing," I whispered, breathless.

"Come on," he said, tugging lightly on my hand as he threaded our fingers together. "Let's go inside."

Trailing behind him, my hand still grasped in his, we crossed the threshold of our home. He pulled me gently into the living room, which was completely isolated, save for our wide eyed, three year old granddaughter. She had out one of her more expensive dollhouses, playing 'house' with her massive collection of Barbies. She barely gave us a fleeting look before returning to her activities.

"You okay down here, honey?" Edward asked.

"I'm alright," she muttered, her voice distant as she dressed a Ken doll. "Mom, Dad, Em, Rose, Ali, Jazz, Nana, and Papa all said they'd be up in their rooms if I needed anything…oh, and to knock first before entering."

"That's nice," Edward muttered sarcastically under his breath. "Leave the poor child out here all by herself while they're up in their bedrooms ravishing each other like it's going out of style."

I giggled as he rolled his eyes, a smirk playing at the edges of his mouth. Unexpectedly, his nose wrinkled, his brow furrowing as a shudder went through him. "Ugh, can we _please_ get out of here? Their thoughts really aren't all that pleasant…well, not that they ever are….but it's utterly repulsing, coming from eight different heads at once. I feel like I'm being violated just standing here."

A cackle of laughter bubbled up from my lips before I could stop it. He glared at me. Without speaking, he crossed the room, picking up a protesting Sarah and sprinting out the back door. I followed behind leisurely, greatly amused.

When I came across them again, they were resting quietly on the edge of a small lake, Sarah's tiny feet dipped into the water casually. He had his arm wrapped around her petite waist, a finger dancing lazily across her side. I smiled at the image, wishing I had brought along camera with me; they were adorable.

Quickly strolling over to them, I folded myself gracefully into a sitting position on the opposite side of my granddaughter. The half grin that even after twenty years of marriage still made my needs go weak spread over Edward's face, the same one reflecting on the face of the toddler at his side.

We spent quite a while there, and even helped Sarah collect rocks she deemed as 'must haves' for her collection. After we returned home, our family members were lounging about downstairs, fortunately decent. Instead of paying any attention to them, Edward led me straight up to our bedroom, where we remained till the early hours of the morning.

- -

Sighing, I positioned my head against my hand which was propped up by my elbow, staring down at my husband. His eyelids had been shut for awhile now, but I wasn't fooled, as I knew sleep was an impossibility for him. Plus his fingers were kneading gently into my hip bone.

With a peek at our bedside clock, I discovered it was just a smidgen after five in the morning. Brushing back the wild mane that was Edward's hair away from his forehead, I replaced it with my lips. "I've got to start getting ready soon," I whispered.

His arm wrapped around my waist in an unbreakable hold. "Not yet," he groaned. "Stay for a bit longer."

"For awhile."

At around six-thirty I finally dragged my reluctant body out of Edward's arms, and managed to ready myself for the day, even with my devious husband trying to distract me with very tempting suggestions every few minutes.

When we descended the staircase, Alice was demanding us to hurry, as we were running behind because Edward kept interrupting my regular morning routine. "Completely his fault, I'm innocent," I defended, pointing at the culprit as Alice eyed me with impatience.

"Whatever, let's just get going."

- -

A few minutes later, we were pulling up in the high school parking lot. I laughed at the conversations I heard between the adolescents surrounding us, and grasped my husband's pale, warm hand in my own.

"_Damn, did they get hotter while they were away?"_

"_They think they're so hot, don't they? I swear, Trisha, if they didn't look so intimidating all the time, I'd put them in their place."_

"_Yay, Blondie's back!"_

"Do I get to hear the joke?" Edward's smooth voice filled my ears, the eavesdropping I was taking part in completely forgotten the moment he spoke.

I shook my head. "I'm sure you can hear all the talk we've caused?"

"Oh," he chuckled. "Yes, I do. But I was more focused on the thoughts, which are about twenty times more hilarious. And by the way, you need to fend off Kara in Geometry."

I groaned. "Did she sit by you?"

He nodded glumly. "Yes, and I had to endure her thoughts. It was as if she were high off from giddiness at the fact that she was allowed to sit by me for forty-five minutes straight." he shuddered just remembering her thoughts, "Humans."

I squeezed my hand sympathetically. "Oh, you poor thing, I'm sorry. I'll have to make it up to you later," I promised.

"I'll be looking forward to it," he winked.

**EPOV**

"Bella Masen?" Mr. Miller, our Literature teacher called out as he took role.

"Here," she spoke softly beside me.

I grinned as he announced the name Masen attached to my Bella's. She never ceased to surprise me. I hadn't ever even thought of the possibility that she could use my human last name as her own for when we attended high school. And then her reasoning behind it. The fact that she wanted to have my last name as her own, even when we had to pretend we weren't married, made me fall in love with her impossibly more.

"I love you," I whispered quietly in her ear; I couldn't resist.

She looped her pinkie finger around my index finger on top of our table, squeezing gently. "I love you, too," she whispered back, too fast for human ears to detect.

The first half of our day went by in fast forward, and soon enough were walking unhurriedly towards the lunch room, our hands linked in the very minimal space between us. It was something natural, one of us grabbing the others hand wherever we went. It was as we needed a connection at every moment of the day, whether it be holding hands, or even me just twirling a strand of her hair between my fingertips.

After buying food props, we sank into our lunch table spots. At this school, we had lunch with Alice and Jasper, which worked out nicely, as none of the couples were separated. "Hey, Bella!" Alice chirped as soon as we reached the table.

"Hello, Alice, I'm great, thank you for asking," I muttered sarcastically.

She rolled her sparkling golden eyes. "Hello, Edward. Happy now?"

I nodded, smiling smugly. "Very."

Bella and Jasper began conversing over some paper that was assigned to Bella about the Civil War. Alice looked expectantly at me to start speaking, so she didn't feel left out. "So, Alice, tell me about this new blouse you bought the other day that you're planning to wear next Thursday. It must be rather important, as you've thought about it often."

"Oh, yes! I may not even pitch it once I wear it, I love it so much," she gushed. "Or maybe I'll give it to Renesmee, as I saw her eyeing it when she was poking around in my closet this morning. I think-"

Abruptly, her sentence trailed off as a faraway look crossed over her face, her eyes glazing over. I watched in horror as the scene in her mind played. I would never-No, it isn't possible.

As soon as she came out of it, she growled, her eyes holding a fury I never thought possible as she gazed upon me. "You," she pointed at me, "Outside, now. We need to talk." Her voice was lethal, so much repulsion laced within it, that I feared she may try to cause me physical harm.

Jasper and Bella now looked upon us with curious eyes. "Whoa, are you alright, Alice?" Jasper asked at the same time Bella said, "What did you see?"

"I just need to speak with Edward," she snarled. "And don't even try to follow us, or I swear to god, Jazz, I will be beyond furious. You too, Bella."

"Edward?" Bella whispered, her eyes swimming with confusion.

I didn't speak, just kept my eyes downcast, ashamed. Alice wrapped her tiny hand around my forearm, yanking me from my seat. Her grip didn't loosen as we exited through the back entrance to the cafeteria. No words were spoken; no thoughts entered her mind as we walked swiftly towards the woods surrounding our school. Once we were in the forest, she took off, sprinting out of hearing distance from the rest of our family.

She finally stopped, but didn't turn around. "Edward," she began, her voice low. "I'm going to give you _one_ chance to explain, and one chance only. Who the hell is Alison Gray and why am I seeing this?"

"I don't…that would _never_ happen, Alice, and you know it," I growled back at her. "She's just some insignificant human girl that sat by me in Biology yesterday."

"Yeah," she muttered sarcastically. "Like you don't have a problem with insignificant little high school girls."

"I don't even- she doesn't mean _anything_. I barely uttered three words to the girl before I ignored her, Alice! I don't know what the hell that vision was, but I can assure you it won't be happening."

She darted around and towards me, so quickly, I barely caught it. She pushed my chest back, her eyes holding the same fire they did earlier. "So help me god, Edward, you better pray it doesn't. Because if you hurt _her_ again I will never forgive you. Oh, and I'll Jasper kick your ass."

"I won't," I vowed honestly. I would _never_ do such things her vision suggested. Not again.

**So…what was the vision? Does he leave her? Does he cheat on her? What do you think? My plans for this story are crazy, and pretty out there, but I promise a happy Edward/Bella ending. And still..who the hell is Alison Gray? **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all, with the exception of Kendall, Sarah, and Alison.**

**Yay, it didn't take as long this time! Hm..things calm down just a bit in this chapter…but not for long. I expect it to get a lot angstier soon.**

**Chp. 8**

_**Mystery Future**_

**BPOV**

Mystified, I watched as Alice dragged Edward out of the building and into the forest encircling our high school. My eyes shifted back towards Jasper, his breathing heavy, anger clearly displayed in his blackened gold irises. "Jasper?" I whispered, alarmed as I scanned the crowd of students surrounding us.

"Sorry," he choked out, finally composed somewhat. "Alice's rage was a lot to take in, and so suddenly. I'm sorry, I couldn't really control it."

"It's alright," I supposed. "Do you have any idea what that was about?"

He shook his head, his eyes closed as he continuously tried to calm himself down. I placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "No idea, and thanks, that helps a little," he murmured.

With a deep breath, he finally opened his eyes. "I'm okay now."

"I'm worried," I admitted.

"I'm sure it was nothing," he shrugged.

"Alice having that kind of fury was not just_ nothing_. No, this is something big…and I have a feeling I'm not going to like the vision she had." I dropped my head in my hands with a groan. "Oh, I thought this was over."

I felt like crying.

"That's what you think this is about?" he wondered aloud.

"What else would it be?" I grumbled. "There aren't that many things Edward could do that would piss Alice off like that."

"Maybe her anger wasn't directed towards Edward," he suggested.

"I could see it in her eyes. She was about ready to rip his head off."

He pried my hand away from my hair and took it gently in his own, squeezing as a reassurance. "Bella, whatever that vision was about, even if it was that girl, I'm almost certain now that he knows about it, he'll make sure it doesn't happen. And plus, I could feel the emotions coursing within him. He was utterly repulsed by it, filled with shame, and teeming with resentment. Now, the possibility that he will just sit back and let whatever is supposed to happen occur is very doubtful."

"But he can't control himself around her!" I nearly shouted, my eyes welling up with tears I knew for certain would never fall. I couldn't contain the feelings within me. I just wanted my Edward back, the way he was before this mess.

"He can, and he will, or I'm pretty sure I'll have to beat some sense into him," he joked lightly, trying to get my mind off of things.

"Why us?" I asked rhetorically with an indistinguishable emotion filling my voice. "Why are we always the target? Can't we ever just have a freaking break? We've been through so much; the enemies come at us from every side, over and over again. I just want him and our family to be at peace, is that so much to ask?"

"I'm sorry, Bella," he murmured. "I know things have never been easy for the two of you, and they probably never will. But you have to remember your reasons for fighting. You can't give up, or the enemy wins. You wouldn't want that, now would you?" he questioned, talking to me as if I were a two year old.

"No," I muttered immaturely, staring blankly at the plastic tabletop I was sitting at.

"That's what I thought."

Edward and Alice returned a short while later, but neither would look at me, only confirming my worst fears. It had to be something bad if they were too ashamed to even spare me a passing glance. The rest of the lunch hour was spent in an unceasing awkward silence.

When the bell rang, instead of taking my hand, Edward rose from his seat, disposing of our untouched food trays. He didn't return to my side, just marching out of the cafeteria as quickly as possible without using any inhuman abilities. I peeked over to find Jasper and Alice gazing upon me with pity in their eyes.

"Bella, it's going to be alright. Just give him time to digest this," Alice suggested with a cheerless smile.

I nodded, walking morosely to my next class, in which Edward was already seated at our conjoined desk, head down. It was tense, sitting next to him the whole hour, no words spoken, no touching of any kind. On normal days during this class he would play with the wedding ring that was switched to my opposite hand, so not to raise suspicion. We would sometimes speak in vampire speed, poking fun of our irritable teacher, Ms. Graves. But alas, none of this occurred today.

At the end of the lesson, he was abruptly out of his chair and half way across the room before I even had time to process what was happening. I sighed, opening staring at this retreating form. It had only been an hour and a half since he disappeared into the woods with Alice, returning with whatever this attitude was, and I already missed him.

As we waited for our final class, Biology, to begin, a short brunette girl sauntered up to our lab table. "Hi, Edward," she greeted, and then turned to me with a viciousness in her eyes I didn't understand. "Move," she ordered.

"Excuse me?" I asked, shocked by her unfriendly demeanor.

"I said _move, _this is my seat."

"No," I began. "It isn't. I've been sitting here since I arrived at this school two months ago."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, well where were you yesterday? I sat there yesterday, and I intend to do so for the rest of the year. So I suggest you find some other place to sit, as I'm sure Edward would prefer me as a lab partner, as opposed to you."

Just because I could, I reached across the table, picking up his limp hand in my own with a smug smile gracing my lips. "Uh, I'm pretty sure he'd much rather have his _girlfriend_ sitting with him, thank you."

She glanced up at him and he nodded, his hand coming to life as it tightened around mine. "Find somewhere else to sit, Alison, this is her seat," he spat at the young girl. The expression within his eyes was frightening. He was glaring at her as if she were the most vile, disgusting excuse for a human being, which I couldn't quite comprehend.

She huffed, shaking her head. As she walked to another empty seat, she muttered, "Soon," under her breath. Okay? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Psychotic teenage humans…

"Thank you," I whispered to Edward.

He finally released my hand after brushing his lips to it softly, and set both of ours down so they were resting lightly on my thigh. "I'm sorry, Bella. That vision…it's really messing with my head. When we get home, just…let's do something, just the two of us. I need to be with only you right now."

"Is it that bad?" I breathed, my eyes scrunching up as I watched a flurry of emotions flicker across his face.

He finally nodded, but his eyes held a fierce conviction when he spoke. "I swear to you Bella, I'll do whatever it takes…to make it not become true. God, I would never be able to live with myself," he shook his head, his eyes closing.

"What was the vision?" I asked in a whisper.

His gaze finally left mine, returning to the table top. "It's nothing you need to be concerned about, Bella. It would only cause difficulty if I were to tell you about it, so my lips are sealed. And I doubt Alice will tell you, as she can't even think about it without having murderous rage."

"You're scaring me, Edward."

I felt his hand on the back of my head, and then it pulling me to him so he could place his lips to my forehead. "Don't be afraid," he whispered against my skin. "I swore to you I'd never hurt you again, and I intend to keep my promise."

I closed my eyes as his lips made painfully sweet contact with my forehead again. There was something about his behavior…almost as if he doubted himself; even though he assured me he had a handle on things. I was still morbidly curious as to what Alice's vision entailed, but if neither were willing to tell me, I guessed I'd have to just let it go and hope for a positive outcome.

- -

"-and then Daddy took me to the park, and then I met this boy named Frankie, and he pushed me on the merry-go-round, and then I went down the big slide with him; he held my hand and everything, and then he kissed me on the cheek, and when Daddy saw, he got really angry, and started shaking until Mommy started whispering in his ear, and then he smiled real big and they told me it was time to go." Sarah took a huge breath after finishing her major run-on sentence that she hadn't paused to breathe while telling once.

"Oh, that sounds like fun," I exclaimed.

"So, this Frankie did _what_ exactly?" Edward muttered from beside us, and I giggled at his over-protectiveness.

A few days had passed since Alice had that vision, and it was now Saturday afternoon. Edward's usual behavior had returned to normal after that night, and we hadn't spoken once of the strange future Alice had seen. Alice seemed to have gotten over whatever grudge she held against Edward, and she was finally speaking to him again, which was good.

"Edward, leave her alone," I grumbled. "She's almost four years old, a kiss on the cheek from a boy her age is perfectly acceptable, and I doubt he'd have any other intentions than that."

"You never know what's going on in the mind of a man, Bella. They want dirty, dirty things, and you can never be too careful," he said seriously.

"He was four years old, not a man yet, and it was a completely innocent peck on the cheek!" I laughed. "Seriously, you need to save that over-protective father/grandfather manner for when she's around fourteen, fifteen years old; when she starts taking an interest in boys and the dirty, dirty," I winked.

"It's very clear that she already has one," he defended quietly, his nose scrunched up in distaste.

I raised an eyebrow in amusement, and was about to speak until Sarah interrupted. "Yeah, I love boys, Grandma. And I really like Frankie. Do you think he'll be at the park when you take me next week?" she asked, her eyes alight with hope.

"I'm not sure, honey, it's possible."

She squealed, clapping her tiny hands together as Edward interjected, "You see what I'm telling you?" he shook his head in disgust. "He's clearly done something to her poor, innocent mind; the kid hasn't left her thoughts for the past twenty minutes."

I smacked him on the shoulder. "Would you stop? I think our granddaughter has developed her first crush, and I don't want you ruining it for her."

"I'm only keeping her from harm's way," he mumbled.

"Yes, because a four year old that gives kisses is life threatening," I drawled sarcastically.

"What about a certain forever eighteen-year old beauty who gives out kisses?" he arched one perfect eyebrow suggestively.

"Hmm," I hummed, pondering this. "I'm not sure, you better check this out."

"I intend to," he leaned forward, catching my lips within his own in a heated kiss.

My granddaughter wiggled in my lap. "Ew, stop it!" she protested. "You two are nasty."

He broke apart from me, laughing. "Nasty, eh?" he asked, amusement dancing in his sparkling golden eyes. "What about you and your new boyfriend, Franklin?" he teased.

"It's Frankie," she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." He then began tickling her sides, showing no sign of mercy when she objected, screaming and thrashing around, giggling all the way. She tried tickling him back, and even hitting his arm, but it was of no use, he probably didn't even feel it.

When he finally ended his assault, she suddenly climbed from my lap and into his, placing her small hands on either sides of his face. "You know what?" she asked.

"Mmm?"

"I love you."

"And I the same, my little love." I smiled, he has been calling her 'little love' since she was born. It was quite cute, actually.

She leaned forward, lightly kissing his forehead. "I have a question."

"Ask away," he sighed.

"Why are you pretty, and young like Mommy and Daddy, but Frankie's grandpa, Earl, who was at the park, was old and ugly?" she wondered with curious eyes.

"That's not very nice," I interrupted.

However, both of them chose to ignore me. "Sarah, you already know why our family stays young, we've explained this to you before."

Actually, we hadn't told her anything about vampires, for she is much too young to comprehend any of that right now. All we've explained to her so far is that our family is special, and that she mustn't tell a soul about the way we act when at our home. Also that she needed to control running too fast, or letting something slip at school; such as, that we were her grandparents. While nobody would actually believe her, thinking it was just nonsense spewed from a preschooler's mouth, there was a very slim chance it could raise suspicion.

"No, you've just told me we're special. Why do I grow, while you stay the same? You didn't ever explain that to me," she remarked.

"Perhaps when you're a bit older, you'll understand more of it. But right now, you won't be able to. And you'll be like us someday," he promised nervously, knowing that he couldn't be certain on that fact.

There was still the slight possibility that she could grow old and die some day, and the thought terrified me beyond words. I would change her myself if she aged any older than twenty-five, for fear that she would continue until she was wrinkled and grey. But deep down I knew I couldn't. She had wolf genes in her, and however small that percentage was, it was still there. Our venom could likely poison her, and I'd never be able to live with myself if I willingly slaughtered my own granddaughter's life.

"But I want to understand," she huffed, climbing back into my lap when Edward wasn't giving her the answers she wanted. "Grandma, will you tell me? Please?" she touched her hand to my cheek, pleading.

So I did what any mature woman would do when her granddaughter asked her difficult questions and said, "Ask your mother."

**My banner's up on my profile! It's not the greatest, but it isn't too shabby. It's more of a character grid than anything.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Ha, I just realized, but I spelt Alison as **_**Allison**_** in the chapter she was introduced. However, it is now only with one L. I feel like a total idiot right now.**

**Chp. 9**

_**Making the Pieces Fit**_

**EPOV**

Bright and early Monday morning, I reluctantly hopped from mine and Bella's bed to get ready for the school day. The girl in question was already dressing herself by the time I made it into our walk in closet, throwing some lacy light blue tank top over her head. She had also paired it with a pair of dark washed skinny jeans and some fancy little black heels.

"You look nice," I complimented as I tugged a shirt over my body.

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you. You don't think it looks too mature for a sophomore?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "Truth be told, this isn't exactly my area of expertise, my love. But I do know you look positively divine." I crossed the rather large space between us, softly placing my lips on her cheek.

She sighed, tilting her head to look at my eyes. "You're too good to me."

I shook my head. "I'm not, far from it. You deserve so much more than I could ever give you. I'm just lucky enough that by some miracle you decided that I was what you wanted."

"I think you have that backwards," she said in a murmur, her sweet breath fanning across my face. "And there was no decision. You were all I ever wanted from the very minute I laid eyes on you, as corny as that sounds."

I leaned in, lightly catching her lips with my own. "I love you, Bella, so much. And I'm so sorry for all I've put you through lately, all I've put you through since we've met. I'd take it all back if I could. I didn't ever-"

She cut my sentence off with another kiss. "Shh," she shushed. "We've already established that it wasn't your fault. And that I don't blame you for anything. You've never been any less than the perfect husband and father. This is just another bump in the road, and we'll get through it."

Oh, how naïve she was. Then again, she was oblivious to the strange attraction I had for a certain Alison Gray. It was like Kendall Summers all over again.

Was there something wrong with me? I loved my wife, more than anything else in the entire world. I'd do absolutely anything to be with her, no questions asked. And yet, why was this happening to me?

I mean, I've heard of human males being attracted to other women besides their partner, maybe even going so far as having a slight infatuation with that female. But this was full on obsession. Not that anyone besides me knew, but I had barely contained my thoughts of Alison in the past week. Every moment of every day, thoughts of her plagued my mind. I couldn't control it, and couldn't stop it from happening. It was similar to when I first met Bella, the human girl whose mind was closed off to me and had a smell of blood so appealing I could barely restrain myself from tasting it.

Several varied feelings coursed through me every time I thought of her. Terror, repulsion, betrayal, guilt, fondness, excitement, attraction, helplessness, the list goes on and on.

I had never been more afraid in my entire existence. Not when I woke up to this strange immortal life, not when I thought James had killed my Bella, not even when I was fighting for her life after the birth of our daughter.

Because, if this obsession consumes me, I lose Bella forever. For if she was to die, I could easily join her in whatever afterlife there is for our kind. But if this infatuation were to be the reason we were ripped apart, there would be absolutely nothing I could do to stop it, and once we were no longer together, I could never come back to her.

I had resolved that I would not let this get in the way of our relationship any longer, but who was I kidding? There was no control over this, nothing would end it.

So, sucking up all my doubts and saving them to contemplate for later, I finally answered her. "Just another bump in the road," I agreed.

- -

**BPOV**

I scanned the cafeteria, meeting my husband's gentle eyes. I smiled at him, and his lips turned up into my favorite crooked grin. He then turned, listening closely to something Alice was telling him. She spoke too low for me to eavesdrop. _Damn._

I spun back around, grabbing a tray to place our food props on. As I stood in unbearably long line, an unpleasantly familiar voice spoke to me. "Hello, Bella."

Alison Gray.

The tone of voice was polite, but the malice displayed on her face was obvious. "What do you want?" I practically spit.

She smirked. "I saw the most interesting thing the other day. Apparently, you're quite the little family slut, aren't you?" My confused expression urged her on. "Oh yes, I saw you getting pretty cozy with Blondie over there yesterday," she jerked her head in Jasper's direction. "Not to mention I saw you getting quite friendly with the big guy last week."

Shaking my head, my voice grew annoyed. "Oh yeah, because hand holding and hugs from your brothers qualify a girl as a major whore."

"So you admit it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sure." I knew what she wanted. She wished to get a rise out of me, and I sure as hell wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of doing so. Let her make her accusations, didn't really matter to me what she thought.

Her smirk suddenly dropped, a small pout forming on her face when I wasn't giving into her. A sneer abruptly covered her features, and her voice was dripping with amusement. "Well, it's good that you'll have them when I take your husband from you."

Husband.

_Husband._

I froze. My heart sank in my throat. "How…w-what are you talking about?" I sputtered, eyes wide as the moon.

She quickly paid for her items. "Goodbye, Bella. It was nice speaking to you," she said cheerfully, practically skipping back over to her table filled with the 'popular' clique.

Going through the motions, I threw money at the cashier, not even bothering to get the change, and rushed over to our table. Giving Alice a look that clearly meant _we need to talk,_ we all sat in silence, nobody making any eye contact for the rest of the hour.

I'm almost certain none of them heard my little conversation, as Alice's eyes were swimming with confusion and concern.

The second the bell rang, I shot up from my seat. "Alice," I called over my shoulder as I crossed through the back exit in the cafeteria, then on second thought added. "Edward, don't follow," knowing he would try.

With determination I stomped towards the privacy of the woods, not even bothering to make sure Alice was behind me. I could hear her footsteps.

Finally spinning around to face her, I just blurted it out. "She said husband."

Her brow creased, her expression one of puzzlement. "What?"

"She said _husband, _Alice," I repeated. "Whoever that Alison Gray is. She clearly said 'when I take your _husband_ away from you. Alice, she knows something about us!" I shouted.

"Calm down, Bella. Tell me exactly what was said," she ordered, fire in her eyes.

By the time I was done explaining every little detail of our conversation, Alice was fuming, just as she was when she had her vision the other day. "Something needs to be done about this immediately," she quietly muttered, her voice deadly.

And strangely, at that very moment, something clicked. It was as if a light switch had been flickered on in my brain, because suddenly, everything was very clear to me. "It's the same, Alice," I said more to myself than her, and then gazed into her eyes to say it more confidently. "Alice, it's the same!"

"What's the same?"

"Alice! She's the same! Don't you see?" I exclaimed, a strange combination of happiness and dread settling in the pit of my stomach. "Alison Gray, she's the same as the other girl. She's the same as Kendall Summers, _they're_ the same person!"

"Impossible," Alice shook her head.

"No, it's clear to me now," I opposed. "What if she has more than one gift? What if she isn't even really human at all?" I grinned.

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice asked, concerned for my well-being I'm sure.

I nodded eagerly. "Yes, I know I'm acting like a bit of a nut, but I'm just so…I finally figured it out Alice! I've been trying to since the moment I met Kendall Summers. It's been eating away at me for months. And now I finally have."

She nodded. "What do we do?"

And here's where I was stumped, all my previous elation completely vanished. "I don't know."

"If she is Kendall, then he'll have no control…and now my vision makes sense," she gasped. "I believe you for sure now, Bella."

"Tell me what the vision was, Alice," I begged.

Ignoring me, she spoke, her voice holding a strange air of authority. "You better get to class. You know that bitch will be all over him if not."

My throat closed up at the thought, traitor tears coming to my eyes as I realized that what happened at our last school would likely repeat here. "Bella, you have to remember that it's not him. You know he'd never do any of those things to you. We'll get her."

I nodded, giving her a tight embrace as a thank you before heading back to the school. As I walked down the abandoned hallways, a strange sense of empowerment that I knew had nothing to do with Jasper washed over me. No, I actually believed in myself.

When I entered the Biology classroom, however, that thought flew right out the window. Sitting in my lab spot was none other than Alison Gray, giggling while Edward laughed at something one of them said. Swallowing all of my self consciousness, I approached the Mr. Lewis' desk.

"You're late, Isabella," he muttered disapprovingly. "The test has already started."

I nodded. "I had a personal feminine issue, I'm sure you can understand," I lied smoothly.

He immediately realized my implication. "Very well then, I'm sorry, Ms. Masen. You may return to your table, here's your test. I suggest you get started so you'll be finished before class is over." He handed me a three paged quiz that I'd probably have done in less than five minutes.

"Yes, sir," I complied.

Instead of making a scene, or disrupting the class, I walked to the very back, ignoring Edward's burrowing eyes on me. I took a seat on the stool next to kid who was actually quite nice looking. Although he'd never have anything on my Edward, back before I met my husband and became immortal, I would have found this kid attractive.

A plan abruptly formed in my head, and I found myself smiling as I took my test, enjoying the feeling of Edward's gaze the entire time.

After class, I felt a muscular arm wrap protectively around my waist and it only further widened the grin upon my lips. "Hello, Edward."

**I know, I know, this is pretty short. But, I wanted it to end here for several reasons. Anyways, does anybody have any guesses as to what Bella's plan is? **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all….well, accept for Little Love. Awh, I love that nickname for her.**

**First off, thank you to all of my lovely reviewers! I appreciate every single one of them! You all are great!**

**Second, so Edward's point of view is here. It will really help you all understand how this is affecting him a bit more.**

**And lastly, enjoy!**

**Chp. 10**

_**Finding Your Resolve**_

**EPOV**

After lunch, Bella scurried out of the cafeteria with Alice, warning me not to follow. Allowing them their privacy, I made my way to class alongside Jasper, who was currently shooting me bizarre sideways glances.

As we parted to go our separate ways, I could hear him slip up on the perfect block he had formed in his mind.

_God damn it, I swear to god if he hurts her again, I will just….oh…um...think of something else, think of something else._

He then changed the direction of his thoughts towards grotesque images of what had occurred in the privacy of his and Alice's bedroom the night before. I swiftly brought my attention elsewhere with a shudder. There was nothing in his head that was even remotely of my interest now. No, I'd like to stay as far away from those thoughts as possible.

When I reached the Mr. Lewis' room, I gracefully took my regular seat, waiting patiently for my Bella to return to me.

However, it appeared as though she would not be attending, as most of the class was here and she was still absent. I tried searching through the minds to find Alice's, but they must have gone too far for me to eavesdrop.

A few seconds later, I saw a wave of mahogany and was eager to find my Bella. Only when I turned my head, I realized I was mistaken. It was the young woman, Alison Gray, who was currently occupying my wife's seat. I opened my mouth to demand that she move, as that stool was already saved for someone else, but was lost when I met her gaze.

I racked my brain to find something half way intelligent to say, but it was of no use; I was already swept away into a mindless frenzy. She stared silently at me for a couple of moments, and then a triumphant smile spread slowly across her lips. Oh, her lips. I hadn't noticed them before, as her eyes were always a distraction. They were full and pink, and looked _very_ kissable.

That train of thought jolted me out of whatever trance I had been in. Shaking my head, I turned back towards the teacher. I had to remember Bella, my wife, whom I loved more than anything in this entire world. I had to think of Renesmee, my daughter, who is my pride and joy. And even my granddaughter, Sarah, who I adore more than anyone I've ever met.

_This girl_; she was nothing. _They; _are everything.

I cannot fail them. I cannot fail Bella again. Never again.

Alison sighed before speaking, her voice a low murmur, as the teacher had began his lesson. "Hey, Edward, don't ignore me."

And suddenly, it was like I _couldn't_ ignore her. My head automatically turned in her direction, and no matter how hard I fought to turn away, I simply could not. What the hell is this?

I grimaced. She shook her head, saying, "I want you to be nice to me." I tried mustering up a glare, but it wouldn't form on my face.

Mr. Lewis, or Bernie, as I learned that was his first name, had given each of us an easy three-paged test to complete, and most of the students were working already, but we weren't. We were simply staring back at one another. And then suddenly, a strange request fell from her lips. "Laugh right now."

A hushed bubble of laugher suddenly arose from my throat, and she giggled back at me. I didn't understand this until out of nowhere, I heard the smooth voice of my wife speaking quietly with our teacher. I only caught the tail end of their conversation.

"-get started so you'll be finished before class is over," he suggested as he handed her an identical quiz to the one laying untouched in front of me.

"Yes, sir," she said, walking away from him and down the aisle of students.

She wouldn't meet my penetrating gaze, but I knew that she was aware of it. Instead of asking Alison to move, or even acknowledging that she ever sat beside me, she plopped elegantly onto the stool beside a random boy, who I think might possibly named Cory, if memory serves correct.

My eyes didn't leave her face once throughout the period, although I did somehow manage to finish my test. Only minutes after starting her assignment, a small grin decorated her lips, and remained there for the rest of the period.

I wished now more than ever before that I could get inside that head of hers. If only she'd lift her shield…but I knew she wouldn't. She rarely does, and if so, only whenever I do something that deserves a reward. Or occasionally when she feels the need to bestow that precious gift upon me.

Jealousy ripped through me as I continued my staring, and while I wasn't exactly sure why, I envied the boy sitting silently beside her.

The second the bell rang, I was up out of my seat, and in the back of the classroom. I encircled my arm around Bella's waist, securing her hip to my own. She was _mine_, and out of some sort of overbearing, uncontainable need, I had to claim her in front of the boy. Her expression lightened, the smile so large upon her features that it looked as though her face might bust. "Hello, Edward."

- -

Later that evening, when I was seated on the couch with Jacob, watching some show I was only vaguely interested in, I felt Nessie throw herself in between us. Jacob automatically pulled her next to him, his arm resting lightly on her side while he kissed her temple. She smiled, brushing her fingers across his cheek lovingly.

When their lips touched, I tried with a furious determination to disregard their actions. They were married, and she wasn't my little girl anymore. But still, as a father, I wanted to knock the mutt out and steal my baby away, locking her up in her room, away from him forever. Oh how I wished I could.

Instead, I just hopped off the sofa, ready to go find Sarah. At least her meaningless little crush on Frankie or whatever his name was wouldn't amount to anything. I could drill into her head that boys were scum and she shouldn't even consider a relationship with one until she was thirty.

However, my daughter had other ideas. "Hey, Dad?" she called after me.

Spinning around so I was facing her, my eyes silently asked her what she needed. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Concern clouded her expression, and her lips puckered up on the side as she stared thoughtfully at me, assessing whether or not she'd find my answer acceptable. Finally, after a few seconds under her scrutinizing gaze, she nodded her head. "Okay."

As I walked away, I tuned into the thoughts of my household, searching for certain thoughts in particular. When I indeed located the one I desired, I dashed up the stairs and into the room housing that certain mind.

I entered silently, only to stand in awe at what was happening. There, snuggled comfortably up underneath the covers of the massive bed, was Bella and Sarah. My granddaughter was fast asleep, lying nearly on top of Bella's chest; her head nestled in the crook of her neck. Bella's eyes were closed, but I knew full well that she was alert, and probably sensed my presence. The moment shared between them was beautiful.

And then abruptly I felt ashamed. The way I gave into Alison's simple demands earlier…what the hell had gotten into me? That worthless human girl could rip all of this right out from underneath me if I didn't keep my guard up. If I lost them, Sarah, Renesmee…._Bella_, I honestly could not even bear to think of what the consequences would be. I couldn't let them slip between my fingers. Right then my resolve strengthened tenfold, and I knew that I would fight whatever this strange attraction was, and that I'd overcome it, no matter how hard that might be. I wouldn't give in, I simply couldn't. There was no way I was letting them go. There were no other options for me. I could _not _live without them.

A lone thought entered my mind, and I knew without a doubt it wasn't from my own head.

_Come here,_ it told me.

I glanced up to find Bella's eyes now opened, gazing directly back into mine. She nodded her head towards the empty space to Sarah's right.

I advanced towards our bed with hesitation, unsure of whether or not I would be in trouble. Either way, I made it there without Bella tearing into me. Cautiously, I perched myself on the edge of my oversized bed, and stared with puzzlement at my wife. She rolled her eyes.

_Lay down_, her thoughts directed.

So I did as instructed. She lifted herself and Sarah up, careful not to jostle the sleeping toddler, and settled herself in the crook of my arm, her head falling gently onto my chest. I wrapped my arms around both of them, Sarah now comfortably squished between us.

"I'm sorry," I whispered after a bout of silence.

It took a moment, but Bella finally answered me. "'Bout what?"

My brow furrowed without my consent. "About…today?" I tried. She just gazed up at me with confused eyes. "I should have, I don't know….I should have made her move."

"Edward, it was in the middle of a test. There's nothing for you to be sorry about."

"Oh," I replied weakly.

A tense silence then enveloped us.

"So what were you two laughing about when I came in?"

I froze. What was I supposed to tell her? Anything I said would come across as a lie. I couldn't possibly say any of the following, even though they were true; _I don't know, she made me do it, I didn't mean to laugh, all she did was told me to laugh and I did, I was under her control._

Yeah, none of those would work out too well. So instead, I just shook my head, uttering a small, white lie. "Oh, nothing. She just said something about Mr. Lewis' wardrobe choices and crazy antics," I smiled, hoping that I was convincing enough.

"Hmm," Bella hummed thoughtfully. "I see."

"Yeah."

Thing were awkward now. I had no idea what I was supposed to say in this situation. So, figuring that actions spoke louder than words, I leaned down, softly pressing my lips to her forehead. It was reminder that this Alison girl meant nothing, and that Bella, herself, was my everything.

"You know I love you?" I whispered.

She nodded her head, the oddest expression forming on her perfect features.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she blew it off, returning her gaze to the sleeping child in her arms. I gently reached out, tilting her chin so she was forced to look at me. After a few moments under my intense stare, she finally cracked. "I'm so scared," she admitted, appearing as though she were on the verge of tears.

"You have no reason to," I told her softly.

"But I do, Edward!" she shouted, quickly widening her eyes and peeking down. Sarah's breathing stuttered for a moment, but she was still thankfully unconscious.

"Bella, you have no reason-"

"Edward, we can't do this right now. We'll wake her up."

"Listen to me," I growled, my tone of voice coaxing her into finally looking me in the eyes. My voice then softened as I gingerly caressed her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere," I affirmed in a murmur.

"You can't know that," she retorted.

I took a deep, soothing breath. "Yes, I do. Bella, I can't live without you. It is physically impossible, not to mention I'd never allow for it to happen again. I promised you, Bella, and I intend on keeping that promise."

She shook her head, her eyes leaving mine again. She buried her face into our granddaughter's hair, releasing the quietest of sobs. "You're not in control of yourself, nothing's definite," she breathed. If not for my vampire abilities, I never would have heard her.

"You're correct about the control part," I nearly grunted. "But I know, without a doubt, that without you, I'm absolutely nothing. Bella, you're my entire life. You and my girls, Ness and Little Love. You given me everything that I'm thankful for. I love you so much it hurts. I could never leave you again," I cooed into her ear.

"But Edward," she moaned, her face still buried. "I-"

"Hold that thought, love," I quickly scooped my sleeping grandchild in my arms, running with vampire speed into her room. I placed her gently in her bed, way too big for a girl her age, tugging the covers over her. With a soft peck on her forehead, I sped back to my Bella who was still lying in our bed.

I returned to her, pulling her into me. Her face wiggled its way into the crook of my neck, a sob tearing up from her throat. Her hand fisted possessively into the shirt I was wearing. "Bella, please stop. Shh, everything is alright," I whispered to her. "I'm here, and I intend to stay."

"I love you," she rasped, "So much. Please, you can't…don't leave me."

"You have my word."

Swallowing thickly, her solid cool lips pressed into my neck firmly. "Edward, I need you." She opened her mind to me for the third time that night, showing me exactly what she wanted.

I complied quickly. We made love well into the night and morning hours. It wasn't want or desire, not anything close.

It was a raw need.

**So…this is the calm before the storm. Things are about to get real ugly next chapter. I'm nervous. :/**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Yeah, so this chapter flops around quite a bit. Also a new character will be introduced, and although they probably won't have a major part in the rest of this story, for now they're actually quite important.**

**So without further ado…chapter 11!**

**Chp. 11**

_**Take Action**_

**BPOV**

I stretched, although it was completely unnecessary, as I trudged up the front steps of the school building. I did not anticipate our arrival to my new person hell; for I was very aware that _she_ would be here. I wished I could forever stay wrapped up in a cocoon of Edward, as I had been in last night, but I knew it was impossible. We had other priorities.

A strange sense of foreboding washed over me as I trailed down the swarming hallway. Yesterday my mind had formed a plan, and although it had a high chance success rate, there was a possibility that he was already too far gone to care.

Now don't get me wrong; I knew Edward loved me with his entire heart. But this girl, Kendall/Alison-whatever- had some unjust form of control over him. Only Alice, Jasper, and I were conscious of what was going around this time. As far as anybody else in the family was concerned, Kendall was a footnote in history. And that's exactly the way I would it would remain. There was absolutely no reason to inflict kind of pain upon my daughter once more, or worse, rile her up like that again. For, she would be angry with her father, and I knew he was going through enough already without having to deal with that.

A familiar, yet faraway feeling rumbled in my chest. It was as if a tiny hole was ripped through it, being picked at gradually, opening the gap further and further with every minute that passed me by. It was the same way I felt when he left me, although that multitude of pain was swelled by thousands.

An abrupt hand ghosted around the small of my back, resting there. I glanced over, surprised to find Edward, smiling gently at me. "What's going on up there?" he pointed towards me head. "You seem as though you're in your own secluded little world."

"I am," I replied honestly.

"Mind if I join you?" he raised a single eyebrow.

He desired for me to lift me shield so that he could read my thoughts, but that was an impossibility. If he knew what was coursing through my mind right now, it would only add on to his immense guilt. I didn't accuse him of anything though, and he knew that. But that didn't stop him from blaming himself, as he always did whenever something caused me heartache.

I shook my head nervously. "Not today."

He pouted, but said no more on the subject, instead changing it. "I noticed something the other day," he said thoughtfully.

"Do tell."

His lips pursed for a moment as he worded his answer. "Have you taken note of how estranged Alice and Jasper have been recently? I mean, it's as if they don't even live with us anymore."

"Oh," I was stunned, although I knew the reason. I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was mainly his and my own faults, mostly his. That would only add to the pile of rapidly growing guilt. I quickly racked my brain for a half decent excuse. "Well, maybe they're thinking about moving out for awhile. I mean, Rose and Em have done it, right? Hell, we did for a few weeks too."

"It's possible," he murmured.

As I continued our conversation, we crossed the threshold of our first class of the day, taking assigned our seats. "This class is like hell," I spoke in a hushed tone.

He hummed as if in deep thought. "Interesting choice of words, my dear."

"What can I say? I'm creative," I joked sarcastically.

Mrs. Mulberry shushed us as she began class, writing just a simple geometry problem on the board for everyone to work on until the bell rang. I reluctantly yanked my notebook from my bag, scribbling my answer down. This class was as easy as snapping my fingers, and it bored me to no end.

Most of the time, Edward and I kept up an inaudible conversation during this class, too faint for humans to even dream of hearing.

"Hey?"

I vaguely turned my head in his direction, so he would understand that I was listening to him, but didn't want to get caught by Mulberry. "Do you think we could go hunting after school?"

"I just went," I reminded him, the bell ringing just moments after, signaling the start of class.

In my peripheral vision, I could see the slight nod of his head. "Yes, I'm aware. But right now, the girl sitting in front of us is mouthwatering, and I don't want to risk it tomorrow."

I glanced up at the undersized, light curly-headed young woman sitting ahead of us and nodded. "Yeah, okay. I'm sorry, are you in pain? Do we need to be excused, because I could text Alice to make a distraction…?" I let the offer hang there for a moment.

"No, I'm in control. It's not even intolerable. But when I start fantasizing about murdering the girl whose blood has never tempted me before, I think that means it's time for a hunting trip."

"I think you're right. But really, if it becomes too much, just tell me."

"Yeah, I will."

We drifted into silence then, the teacher droning about something that was unimportant to me. I fiddled with a stray lock of hair, twirling it between my fingertips as I absentmindedly stared at Mulberry so it would look like I was paying attention. In reality, I was lost between my thoughts again. I schemed within the safe confines of my mind, wondering if my plan would really work.

If Alison just worked accordingly, than this would all fall perfectly into place.

And indeed she did, for when we entered the classroom that afternoon - our class directly after lunch - she was waiting for Edward at _our_ lab table. I only smirked.

A peek towards Mr. Lewis' desk informed me that he was currently not present, which was a plus. Edward froze, however, when he spotted her. "Bella, we-" he began, but I quickly cut him off.

"No, its okay, my new spot is back there," I gestured towards _Good Lookin_, as I recently nicknamed the human boy. I really did need to learn his proper name, for I don't think a conversation would start out too well if I slipped up and called him that.

Suddenly, I yanked the collar of Edward's shirt down, attaching my lips to his own in a fierce, territorial way. I slithered my tongue into his mouth, making sure to clearly mark him as my own as I swirled it around. He responded, always enthusiastic, but I could feel the confusion rolling off of him in waves. I finally pulled away after several seconds, our lips creating a loud smacking noise that seemed to ricochet around the silent room.

Abruptly, the class exploded with catcalls and applause.

I smirked, taking a glimpse at Alison. Her eyes held a nasty black fire within them, and she was doing her best trying to glare at me, but I wasn't frightened. If anything, I was only further amused.

Edward practically gaped at me like a fish. "Close your mouth, honey," I pushed his jaw up with my index finger.

I then turned on my heel, sashaying to the very back of the classroom and taking a seat next to _Good Lookin_. He stared at me as though I were a god among women, and it boosted my self-confidence, as well as my ego immensely. "Hi, there…" I waited patiently for him to say his name.

"Uh…C-Cory," he stuttered. "And you are?"

"Bella Masen."

"_Bella Masen,_" he repeated quietly to himself, shaking his head.

"So, Cory," I started conversationally. "You're a sophomore, right?"

He nodded dumbly. "I see. So…" I made a show of gazing around the room. "Which one of these lucky ladies is your girlfriend?"

"I don't…I don't have one?" said Cory, but it sounded more like a question. As if he was unsure of his answer.

"Hmm. Well that certainly can't be right. You know, a handsome young man like you? Surely you'd have girls lining down the block to get your attention," I drawled flirtatiously. "I mean, I know I'd be all over you if I weren't already taken."

Clearly I was lying, but I caught when Edward's head swiveled around, his eyes insanely wide. Alison tried distracting him by placing her hand on his forearm, but he just shrugged it off, his attention focused solely on me.

"Are you serious?" Cory whispered, a look of pure astonishment clouding his features.

"Damn straight," I winked. "I mean, come on. Look at that jaw line you've got there. And your lips! I bet you're a good kisser, I could swear to it just by looking at you."

"I-I," he stammered, but then smoothed his way into a question. "Well, you could always judge me on that later to make sure? We could go someplace…boyfriend over there doesn't have to know." He flicked his finger towards the front of the class where Edward was seated.

I licked my lips, taking a quick peek up at my husband. His expression was one of pure, undiluted fury, and an undeniable jealously mixed within. His eyes were blackened with rage, and he paid not an ounce of awareness towards the brunette sitting next to him, which panned out perfectly.

I sighed, as if saddened by what I was about to say. "I would, but I have a boyfriend, and it would be wrong."

"People do wrong things all the time. Plus, like I said, boyfriend don't got to know about it."

I nodded. "Maybe some other time."

I knew for certain that it would never be happening, but I kept my answer vague and open, so he wouldn't lose interest. For if he did, my plan would fail miserably, and Edward, who was currently wrapped around my finger, would slowly unravel and retreat towards Alison.

We chatted quietly during the rest of the period, and I could feel Edward's intense gaze on me through random parts of the lesson.

When it was over, he stood hastily, but Alison murmured quietly to him as I eavesdropped. _"Edward, walk with me instead of the whore back there."_

I could see him struggling, as if he didn't know where his loyalties lay. She glared at him for a moment. _"Follow me, Edward, now."_

And just like that, he was on his way out of the room without me. She opened her hand to his, and he stopped, staring at it as if it were infected until she shook it frantically. He then cautiously slid his fingers through hers, twining them together. She turned her head just in time to wink at me as they floated out the door.

I felt a tug in my chest, and I knew it was the hole digging deeper.

I may have won his whole concentration for the entire class, but in the end, with a simple command, he was hers.

So, deciding to be brave, I slid a pair of leather gloves from my jacket pocket and put them on. It was an acceptable thing to do, for our school hallway was like an icebox, especially around this time of year.

Swallowing, I looked up towards Cory, who was staring silently back towards me as he collected his books. "Uh, want to walk with me?" I asked awkwardly.

He shrugged. "Sure. Where's your next class?"

"History with Mr. Werner. You?"

He smiled. "Same. Huh, that's a coincidence."

As we walked together, or hands dangled loosely beside one another, and with all the courage I could muster up from within my body, I grasped his hand firmly with my own. He gasped, nearly inaudible, but tilted his head towards me with a wide grin. "What happened to boyfriend?" he wondered.

"Boyfriend who?" I smirked.

I knew this was wrong of me. I knew I was only using him, and that I was probably a horrible, vile, and slightly insane person for doing this, but somehow, it felt like justice. Like, if Edward was going to hurt me with the way he was towards Alison, I wanted to hurt him back. To cause him pain like he caused me. And I knew that it wasn't his fault, and that I should probably be helping him stay away from her, but I didn't know how without simply offing the bitch. Which I couldn't without consequence.

And so, for now, this would have to work.

Even though I didn't know Cory, or care about him in any way, or even consider him to ever be anything more than a friend, I was going to willingly utilize him. It worked with making Edward jealous, I could clearly see that, but I knew I'd soon have to bring out the big guns. I'd need Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, whoever was willing to give me advice or assistance in putting this to an end. I'd have to eventually inform the rest of the family on what was occurring, they had a right to know too.

After I escorted Edward on his hunting trip, I would drive to the hospital to talk privately with Carlisle.

He'd know what to do. He always did.

As we entered Mr. Werner's class, I spotted my husband sitting alone in the very back corner of the room, his features contorted in an awful forlorn way. I wanted desperately to go sit next to him, to make him feel good again, to wipe that expression clean off his face.

Instead I chose to lead Cory towards a set of two desks close together, sliding my gloves back into my pocket as I sat down. I was aware of Edward's every move, although I could not see him, as he was behind me. He took a deep, pitifully shaking breath, and I closed my eyes.

_I love you, this is for your own good,_ I thought towards him, although I didn't remove my shield, therefore it went unheard.

After class, Cory and I parted ways, him off to Art, and I to Study Hall.

When I entered the classroom, I perched myself on the edge of a seat on the far right of the array of desks. Edward breezed in just seconds later, staring at me with wide, hopeful eyes for a moment. I stared back, no emotion shining through my features. He swallowed noisily, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Because of twenty years of marriage, I knew every little mannerism, habit, expression, everything about him. And as of right now, he was standing there, his face calm, cool, collected. But inside, I knew it was a raging battle within his mind, figuring out whether or not he was going to sit next to me, or away. What would make matters worse, and which would prove to be the correct choice.

He opted to sit next to me, gracefully walking towards the seat to my left and slumping into it. He didn't speak, only facing straight forward. My plan was to act as if nothing had happened, so I hurriedly snatched up his hand that was tapping nervously on his desk and brought it into my lap. I played with his fingers, gently squeezing them, and even twisting his simple golden wedding band around idly.

He noticeably stiffened, his eyes darting to mine in shock. My eyes reflected a false sense of innocence and questioning, as if his stare was totally outlandish. Then, with our eyes locked, I slowly brought his palm up to my lips, placing a chaste kiss upon it.

We didn't speak for the rest of the day, only sending shy sideways glances towards one another.

When class was over, I pulled his hand, lacing my fingers in his and leading him out to the car to wait for Renesmee and Jake, who had ridden with us today. As we waited, Alison happened to walk by, her smug smile rapidly fading when she took in our twined fingers.

Just to be a bitch, I rose on my tip toes, placing a chaste kiss upon Edward's lips. However, he surprised me, gripping my waist tightly and spinning me around so I was pressed into the side of the car door. His lips attacked my own at a frenzied pace, rough and needy. I recognized it immediately for what it was. It was a combination of several things, actually. He was kissing out all of his frustration first, while trying to prove to himself that he wanted me over Alison, and simultaneously marking his territory.

I just grinned when his lips moved downward, descending onto my neck, only one thought clouding over all others.

My plan had worked.

**Don't think it will continue to be this easy, because I can inform you right now that it will get real bad real soon. And while I dislike writing Edward this way, it has to be done. But at least we all know that Alison is an evil bitch that needs to die and leave our man alone. ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**A/N: So this is WAY later than I planned. But anyways, Merry Christmas Eve, peoples! You all are great! Reviews from you are absolutely lovely, and I appreciate them all.**

**This chapter has lots of emotions in it! Anyhow, I'll let you get to it!**

**Chp. 12**

_**Time for Help**_

**EPOV**

I watched helplessly with a burning hatred as my wife sauntered in the nearly empty classroom, her hand in another man's. I nearly growled, desiring nothing more than to tear into the vulnerable flesh of the young human teenager before me.

And then an emotion hit me with such force, I nearly cried out. Because of my lack of control, I was losing her. My Bella was slipping right through my fingers, and I was just allowing it to happen. My mood changed drastically, one of unadulterated fury to an unimaginable grief.

After spending my entire class period staring shamelessly at the back of her beautiful, endless mahogany locks, my emotions were drastically out of control. They ranged widely from rage, to shame, to loss, to self-pity, to remorse, and then the absolute worst; desolation.

Abashed, I kept my head faced downwards as I approached my last period of the day. As I crossed the threshold, my eyes darted up instinctually to meet Bella's. She gazed back at me, no sign of emotion gracing her lovely features.

Gulping, rather loudly, I must admit, I stood gaping at her for a moment, clueless as to what I was supposed to do.

Would she move if I were to sit beside her? If I chose not to, would she see it as an end to things? As me distancing myself from her? Would she not speak to me the entire lesson?

Deciding to take a slim chance, I hesitantly crossed the distance between us, anticipating the moment when she'd speak out, exclaiming for me to stay far away from her…that she saw me as an appalling traitor of the love we shared. That she despised me for not being strong for her, for giving in so easily.

However, the harsh words never escaped her lips.

When I was seated, neither of us spoke, so I tapped my fingers gently on the wooden desk to break the tense silence. Bella, never ceasing to astound me, snatched my hand away, twiddling with my fingers, even circling my wedding ring with her fingernail. I immediately became rigid, my voice escaping me as my eyes fled to hers, bewildered.

She gazed upwards at me with beautiful, massive topaz eyes, reflecting a purity that I knew to be false. Then, being sure my eyes still held her own; she brought my palm to her mouth, placing her divine lips upon it.

The remainder of our day was spent between bashful glimpses and hesitant brushes of hands, neither of us knowing where exactly we stood. When class was over, she grasped my hand firmly within her own, our fingers naturally threading together as we walked unhurriedly towards the parking lot.

We waited noiselessly beside our vehicle for our missing passengers, and with an abruptness I didn't quite comprehend, Bella stretched onto her tip toes, her lips innocently touching my own.

However, just tasting her sweetness wasn't enough, I needed to have more. I twisted the both of us around, my hands fixed upon her waist, my mouth devouring hers with fever.

I desired her, more than anything else in this entire world, and this was me showing her. Today turned out to be a jagged bump in our relationship, but at the end of the day this glorious woman was mine, and mine only_._ I was going to move on from whatever this obsession was. It ended right here, right this very moment. Bella was first and foremost, the only woman my focus would be upon.

My lips trailed down her delicious skin and onto the long expanse of her neck, inhaling her scent. The faintest of whimpers escaped her lips, her small hand fisting mightily into the fine hair at the nape of my neck.

An abrupt clearing of a throat broke us apart, and I rested my forehead against hers, my breathing now raspy and ragged against her lips.

"You know, you two weren't that big on PDA at our last school. Why torture us now?" A sharp smack rang out after Jacob's gruff voice. "Ow, honey, what was that for?"

We both turned our heads gradually towards our daughter and irritating son-in-law. "Because," Renesmee replied. "I like seeing them together."

His nose scrunched up. "You _enjoy_ seeing your parents ravish one another like animals against your car?" he nearly gagged.

She rolled her eyes, as if his answer wasn't exactly what she had just implied. "No, that's not what I meant. It's just…you know how things have been lately. It's nice to see them happy again."

A pang of remorse tore at my heart as she spoke those words. My head suddenly hung in shame, until Bella whispered threateningly into my ear, too soft for anyone but me to hear. "Don't you dare feel guilty. I've told you time after time it wasn't your fault."

Inhaling a deep breath, I snapped my head back up. Jacob and Renesmee didn't seem to take notice of my reaction, as they were having a staring contest of sorts.

Renesmee finally broke his forceful gaze, her eyes gently staring into my own. "I'm glad things are better now, Daddy," she said softly as she took a step in my direction, my little girl showing through her grown woman exterior. "I've really missed you and Mom."

"I'm so-"

"I swear to god, Edward, if you apologize one more time I am withholding our nightly activities for five months straight," Bella chimed in, her voice stern. "And I won't give in, no matter how much effort you put into seducing me this time around."

I nearly apologized for apologizing, but quickly caught myself in the act and chose to say something safer. "Yes, dear."

Jacob pretended to crack a whip while imitating the sound it made and I shot a glare in his direction. "I wouldn't be talking, mutt. My little girl's had you wrapped quite snugly around her finger since she was less than twenty minutes old."

"Touché," he muttered.

The girls shook their heads at us, beginning to finally step into the car. Just as I opened the driver's door, my eyes automatically glimpsed over the top of the car, meeting a depth-filled brown five cars away.

There, Alison leaned against her car, her eyes intensely penetrating through my own. Somehow, although she was several feet away, I was instantly aware of that fact that she heard our entire conversation.

She knew who Renesmee was.

- -

During the course of the ride home, I was on edge, my plan to go hunting quickly forgotten.

My mind was absorbed in my newfound information. Alison knew about me and Bella having a daughter…she could expose us. She was now a threat. Well, an even more dangerous one than she was before.

My thoughts were filled with one thought, and one thought only; something had to be done about Alison Gray.

- -

**BPOV**

On our way back to the house, I sensed that something was off about Edward from his stiff posture and guarded expression. Just moments ago, in the parking lot, he had been kissing me, and joking around with Jacob.

So what changed within the three seconds it took for him to step into the car?

"What's wrong, honey?" I asked when we were within the safe confines of our bedroom.

He slumped down into the powder blue suede couch that decorated our room, pushing his head into his hands. When the only answer I got was the tugging of his hair, I cautiously sat beside him, placing what I intended to be a comforting hand on his back, rubbing in a soothing motion.

"You can tell me," I urged, trying to pry whatever was bothering him out.

The suddenness of his actions startled me. Before I could comprehend what had occurred, he was already on the other side of the room, walking towards the door. "It's nothing. I'll be downstairs."

I could have cried at the response he provided.

- -

Sometime around seven in the evening I exited my room, only after finishing a rather long novel Carlisle purchased for me a few days prior.

I could sense that Edward was in the music room, so I steered clear of that area, carefully making my way into the living room. Almost immediately I spotted Jasper studiously watching Emmett play a video game, so I gracefully hopped over the back of the sofa and onto the cushion next to him. He threw a friendly smile in my direction so in return I threw my legs over his lap and settled myself into a laying position.

There was nothing intimate or romantic about it, just simply stretching my legs out. He didn't really seem to notice all that much, his eyes still glued to whatever Emmett was doing.

"So what's all this about?" I wondered, gesturing towards the strange controller in Emmett's hand.

"It's a Wii remote," Emmett answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the entire universe.

"Am I supposed to know what that means?"

Emmett just rolled his eyes, instead ignoring me and focusing back to what he was doing. I breathed out a sigh of annoyance just as Alice sashayed into the room, her movements graceful like a ballerina. She eyed Jasper and I's position for a moment, her expression one of contemplation, like she was trying to figure out where she was going to sit because we took up the entire couch.

Instead of simply sitting in the arm chair or even the floor, she dropped her tiny body onto my stomach, sitting upright with a grin. "Thank you, Alice," I mumbled sarcastically.

She only nodded, her hand flitting around to find Jasper's, linking their fingers together.

"Hey, Em, I need for you-" Rosalie's voice died in her throat as she stepped into the living area, taking in Alice, Jasper, and I's strange seating arrangement. She shook her head, a smirk twitching on her lips. "I'm not even going to comment on that. But anyways, Em, I need you help me work on the BMW."

"Ask Edward," he replied distractedly.

She stomped her foot impatiently. "Edward would only screw it up. He doesn't work on cars."

Emmett inhaled an impatient breath, pausing his game to turn around and face her. "Then ask Jacob. He's just as skilled as you are when it comes to that sort of thing," he recommended.

"You have got to be kidding me. I'm not going to ask the pup to help me with anything! He'd _purposefully_ screw up my baby just to piss me off."

Emmett whined uncharacteristically. "Baby, please, can't you just ask Jacob? I've helped you every single day for the past week. Can't I have a one day break?"

She stared him down for a moment longer before flipping her golden hair around, sauntering back into the garage. "Fine."

- -

"Edward, please talk to me," I begged, my voice low so not to alert the others of our conversation.

Currently, he was seated on his piano bench, where he had been, unmoving, for the past six hours. The only thing he did manage to do was play, and it was like nothing I'd ever heard come from his masterful fingers. It was…horrid. The tune was out of beat and made no sense coming from his musically talented mind.

Something was terribly wrong.

He shot a fleeting glance in my direction before snapping his head downward again. "Bella, I'm fine." He couldn't even lie correctly! Edward had always been very excellent at the art of deception, but as of right now, he was about as transparent as air.

"Fine, if you don't want to tell me, whatever," I ground out. "But don't come looking for me when you decide I'm good enough to help you."

Planning on storming out of the room, I spun around, but a slender, pale hand grasped my forearm. "Bella, I'm sorry, don't, please," he apologized with haste.

Instead of giving into him, or starting a fight, I simply shrugged his hand off of me, walking determinedly out the door.

- -

By the time the morning rolled around, I desperately longed to be near to my husband once again. Stomping out of the room was already a decision I had come to regret. It didn't fix anything; all it did was cause more heartache, not to mention driving an even further wedge between us.

When Alice, oblivious to our issues, excitedly called out that it was time to leave for school, we all rushed down the steps.

Edward and I avoided one another's eyes with fierce willpower. Renesmee eyed the obvious distance between us warily. She subtly touched my hand as we all trailed out the door, sending me a question from her mind.

_What happened?_

"Hell if I know," I grumbled without looking at her.

_Is there anything I can do?_

"No," I muttered dismissively.

Edward drove Renesmee, Jacob, and I to our hell of a high school, the journey leaving me edgy and uncomfortable afterwards.

I was almost certain that Jacob became alert that something was off, for the way he kept peeking at me with uneasiness flooding his expression during our car ride. Edward opened my door for me, grabbing my hand in his when we arrived, but it felt wrong, dirty even. I didn't _want_ to hold his hand…for once in the entire time I've known him.

So instead of enduring it, I snatched my hand away from his, sauntering past his stunned form. "I can walk myself to class without your help, thank you," I called over my shoulder, noting the suffering captured within his bright golden-brown eyes.

Sure, it was probably a stupid move, and if I was ever going to get him away from Alison, this wasn't the way to go about things. But damn it, my heart was hurting too, and I couldn't just remain at his side and allow for him to hide things from me.

So as I left him behind, my mind was unfalteringly made up. Tonight would be the night I would bring out the big guns.

Tonight I was speaking to Carlisle.

**Gulp. Bringing out the big guns! I wonder what Carlisle will say….oh, that's right, I already know. ;) Reviews are much needed.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chp. 13**

_**Expected Betrayal**_

**BPOV**

I trudged to my sixth period class with a terrible sense of foreboding, my head fixed at downward angle to avoid the many appraising stares I was receiving from the adolescents surrounding me.

Sure enough, when I approached Mr. Lewis' classroom, my vision locked upon the sight of my husband and Alison, appearing very cozy as they spoke mutedly at _their _lab table. I glared at the abomination in the form of a teenage girl; her breakable human hand was clasped snugly in my Edward's, their heads close together as they conversed about something in which I probably didn't want to know.

Even though I knew he couldn't control himself, and that she was an evil, thieving bitch, the image they presented was like a harsh blow to the stomach. It hurt excruciatingly bad.

"Ms. Masen, do you have a problem finding your seat?" Mr. Lewis asked scornfully when I stood in the front of the room for longer than necessary.

Mortified, I hastily scrambled to my seat in the very back of the room. Cory glanced up at me with a pleasant smirk, and my ears picked up on his heart's speed increase. "Hey, Bella," he greeted joyously.

I plastered on a fake smile in return, my voice mustering up a false tone of cheerfulness. "Hello, Cory."

Mr. Lewis then chose that moment to start class, and everyone instantly silenced themselves.

Throughout the lesson, I kept my watchful eyes trained on Alison. Every so often, she'd lean over to whisper something in Edward's ear to which he'd respond with a grin. I desperately wished to eavesdrop on what she was saying, but she kept her voice low…too low; almost like she _knew_ to modify her tone of voice.

When the bell rang, I snatched Cory's hand, not even bothering to slip my gloves on. "Gah!" he exclaimed. "You're hands are like ice!"

"Sorry," I muttered insincerely.

I then yanked him up the aisle of desks, our hands still linked, right past Edward and the whore. Normally, Edward's eyes would be murderous as they watched the scene before him….but not today.

He didn't even notice as we walked by.

_He didn't notice!_

My well-formed plan to make him jealous was crumbling right before me. He was so far gone that he no longer cared what I did. Crap! Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, I need to talk to Carlisle!

Now that Cory was useless to me, I abruptly let go of his hand, sauntering out of the school building without him. He stood, bewildered, in the center of the hallway for a few moments before composing himself. But even then, I could see the look of hurt cross his features.

But right now it didn't matter. Nothing did. I had to get to Carlisle.

Stalking straight into the forest I began an inhumanly fast pace towards the direction of the hospital, my thoughts determined. When I hit the edge of trees that enclosed the town's medical center, I slowed myself down to a walk.

When I entered the hospital building, I went straight for the receptionist's desk, questioning where I'd find Dr. Carlisle Cullen, and that it was critical that I speak to him immediately.

Gina, as her nametag read, pointed me in the direction of his office and I jogged down the wide, open hallways until I reached it.

I flung the door open with abandon, and Carlisle's head snapped up to mine urgently. "Bella?" he asked, puzzled. "You're supposed to be in school."

Shutting the door behind me, I crossed the room, seating myself in one of the cheap cushy chairs opposite of his. "This is important," I informed him.

"Is everyone okay? Sarah? Renesmee?" His eyes were frantic.

I shook my head exasperatedly. "No, they're fine."

There was a long gap of silence as he inhaled a breath of relief.

"She's back, Carlisle," I continued seriously.

"Elaborate, dear," he ordered with a drilling curiosity.

"Carlisle," I addressed him. "Kendall's back."

"What? How…?"

"I don't know how! It's not even the same girl, but it is! She's…different. She looks different. She looks like me now...kind of. Her name is Alison Gray. She has the same effect on Edward that Kendall did, and I'm just about positive that they're the same person!"

He eyed me, calculating, for several moments. "And this girl is human?" he wondered, still trapped in his thoughts.

"I…think?" The words unintentionally came out of my mouth in the form of a question.

When he didn't comment, I decided to share my theories. "I believe that she's more than human, Or a human with special abilities like I had when I was a human. It was like when I could keep other vampires from manipulating my mind, or how Alice 'saw things' when we were only mortals".

"You're sure this is the same girl?"

"Positive," I answered surely. "But I came to you because I don't know what to do anymore. And I want to keep Renesmee as far out of this as possible. Last time," my head uncontrollably shook at the memory, "It hurt her so much. I can't put her through it again."

"What about you?" he asked, his eyebrows raised on his forehead.

"It doesn't matter how I feel," was my reply. "My only concern is getting him away from her and keeping Renesmee and Sarah out of it."

"Bella," he said disapprovingly, going into a therapist-like-mode. "You can't ignore your emotions. It will only cause more problems. If you ever need to talk, or vent, or need advice, you can always come to me. And not just I, anyone in the family would be there for you in a heartbeat."

I nodded, my voice lost. I could feel a sharp stinging in my eyes, tears that desired to be shed, but would never spill over. "Uh…I-I need to go," I stumbled through my words, hurriedly getting up and dashing out of the room.

When I was safely in the confines of the soggy forest, I let the sobbing out as I ran. I hushed myself when I drew near the school, finally quieted when my foot stepped into the slick, wet pavement of the parking lot.

I spotted Renesmee and Jacob in a tight embrace, my daughter's face buried in his chest. I smiled as I saw them together, but as I advanced, I could hear muffled cries. "What's the matter?"

Jacob's eyes darted to mine, held within them an unimaginable fury. "Why don't you ask your asshole of a husband?" he barked heatedly.

Renesmee, without removing her face, punched his shoulder. "Stop it."

"No," he exclaimed insubordinately. "_Edward,"_ he spit out his name as if it were a dirty word. "Freaking broke Ness' heart!"

Both of my hands ran through my hair, tugging it with a groan. "Oh, god, what did he do?"

"After the bell rang twenty or so minutes ago, she went up to him, as if it were any normal day and simply asked where you were. He glared, ignored her, walked up to some chick and took her hand. He then had the nerve to get in _our_ car with what's her face, and take off…god knows where! That son of a bitch!" he yelled the last part.

"Renesmee," I croaked, reaching out for her. "I'm so sorry."

She spun around and into my arms. "What's wrong with him, Momma?" she whispered through her tears.

"I don't know," I responded, barely able to contain the rage that had sparked within me.

I was downright furious, and not even at Edward. Well, I was angry with him…but most of it was directed towards that Alison girl. She could hurt me, whatever, but this was affecting my whole family now. She was hurting my husband and daughter, and that was unacceptable.

"Let's go home, baby," I breathed into her hair and she nodded.

- -

When we pulled up at the house, Alice flew down the porch steps, enveloping Renesmee in a tight embrace. "I am so sorry," she whispered, her expression a mix between fury and agony. "I didn't see it until right before it happened. I wouldn't have let him hurt you like that if I would have known."

I gazed upon them with sad eyes, but then felt the abrupt arm of my best friend sling itself across my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Bells," Jake apologized unnecessarily.

"Jake, there's nothing to be sorry for," I told him so.

"Bella, we're going to stop this girl. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're happy again. You deserve it….although _he_ doesn't deserve you at all. He just-"

"Stop it, please," I muttered, trying to hold back the sob that wanted to escape my throat. "It's not his fault. And how did you even know about _her?_"

"Edward may be a lot of things, Bella, but he's good to you; he loves you. I know he wouldn't intentionally hurt you like this. And don't say you aren't hurting, Bella, I can see it. You haven't been yourself since before we left Elkins when that other chick was in the picture. They're the same, aren't they?"

"Since when did you become so observant?" I asked, distracting myself from the pain his words inflicted.

"I always have been. That's what I'm supposed to do, right? As your best friend I'm supposed to help you with your problems."

I knocked my shoulder lightly into his. "You're too good for me, Jake."

"Oh, I know," he teased with a sly wink.

"Okay, you so ruined the moment." I stuck my tongue out, sauntering past him and into the house.

- -

Having isolated myself in my room until Carlisle got home, I was eager for his arrival.

When he finally pulled into the garage, I sprinted down the stairs and out to meet him. "Carlisle," I greeted as he stepped out of his car.

He seemed surprised to see me standing before him. "Bella," he returned.

"How's the…situation?" he asked cryptically.

And then another relentless wave of pain collided into me. "Uh…Edward's kind of not here. He took off with Alison after school. Really hurt Ness in the process."

Carlisle's bright golden eyes darkened, a slight growl sounding out, and I rushed to correct him, as I knew what he assumed. "Not physically, Carlisle. He'd never lay a hand on her," I shook my head. The idea of him _ever_ physically hurting our daughter was ludicrous.

His irises immediately cleared up, and he apologized for presuming the worst.

"Its fine, the way I worded it was unwise." After a very long, awkward pause, I continued. "So…what are we going to do? Jacob knows now and so do Alice and Renesmee, obviously. Probably Jasper. I'm assuming everyone else does too, because neither of us has bothered to control the volume of our voices."

In fact, at that moment, I could hear Alice explaining to Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme what exactly was happening, and a fierce growl ripped through the tense silence shared between Carlisle and I. It was Emmett.

"Bella!" he boomed, and the garage door leading to the house was flung open, revealing the entire family, minus Edward and Sarah. "Why the hell didn't you tell any of us!?"

Before I could speak, Carlisle cut in, placing a protective hand on my shoulder. "Emmett, she came to me earlier when she couldn't handle it anymore, and Alice was aware of what was happening before me, even. I'm sure you can understand that Bella didn't want hers and Edward's business to reach her daughter. She was protecting her child and granddaughter from getting hurt, which was very considerate of her."

Emmett sighed heavily. "She should have told us so we could go kill this bitch."

"Emmett!" Esme and Carlisle chided simultaneously.

"What? I think it's a good idea. She freaking followed us! How creepy is that? And just for Edward? If she had any intelligence at all she'd go for me…OW! Rosalie, you know it's true," he rubbed the back of his head gingerly where Rosalie had smacked him.

"Anyways," Carlisle carried on, ignoring Emmett's comment. "We need to figure something out, preferably before Edward decides to come home."

"What else besides killing the chick can we do? She'll probably just follow us like the stalker she is if we go anywhere else," Rosalie chimed in.

"Thank you, Rose!" Emmett exclaimed. "At least someone agrees that this chick is creepy and needs to be taken care of."

"She's human," I reminded them.

"We can make exceptions." The brutal determination in Rosalie's expression nearly made me cringe.

"What if she's not human?"

Everyone's heads snapped towards the direction of where Renesmee was standing, silent through our entire discussion, finally spoke, arms crossed.

"What do you mean, dear?" Esme questioned.

Renesmee uncrossed her arms, biting her bottom lip for a moment. "I mean…what if her vampire power was to _be human_? To disguise herself as one of them?"

"That's brilliant, Renesmee," Carlisle complimented. "That would explain it all."

"So what do we do?"

**Gah, bad Edward! I really dislike him in this chapter, but oh well, it has to be written! I plan on getting out at least another chapter by this weekend, but if it doesn't happen then I'm really sorry! Reviews are lovely, but my reviewers are lovelier.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**I pretty much suck. I said I was hoping to get out at least another chapter **_**before**_** the weekend, and obviously that never happened. New Year's parties and whatnot got in the way, so I'm truly, very sorry.**

**Anyways, I hope to make up for it by posting an extra long chapter, about a full page longer than normal. I didn't spend very much time editing this, too eager to post if for you guys, so I pray there aren't a ton of mistakes. Just ignore them if there are.**

**Chp. 14**

_**Barriers Cracking**_

**BPOV**

"So what do we do?"

"Someone needs to get the scoop on Alison, Kendall, human girl, whatever you want to call her before we can do anything," Rosalie started.

"Jazz and I can follow her scent across town tomorrow while she's at school, search her place?" Emmett suggested hopefully.

Carlisle nodded contemplatively. "If she's one of us, she'll pick up on your scents, though….and she could tell Edward. That could cause quite a mess for him and Bella, more so than there already is."

"But if we find out that she's a vamp, than we can just off her, right? So then the problem would be gone"

"I like that plan," Rosalie commented victoriously. "Look, there's really nothing else we can do. We need to get rid of her…but without Edward knowing. Make it look like she decided to leave town or something?"

"That will be the alternative plan," Carlisle explained. "But if we can maybe just talk to her, sort things out, that will be what we'll try first. Even though this person is causing damage to our family, it still isn't right to murder them. If we can just convince her that Edward is happily married and a father and grandfather, well, that is if she's our kind, then maybe she'll give up. If she's human than we can just move again, somewhere she won't ever find us."

"Fine," Emmett muttered with dissatisfaction.

"So, tomorrow after school, assuming Edward won't be joining us, we'll be forming the plan based on Jasper and Emmett's findings. I'll take off at the hospital early, so I'll be here. Does that sound alright?"

Everyone nodded their consent. "Okay, that's it," he dismissed.

"Wait!" Alice called out behind the few that had already made it through the door and into the house. "Tomorrow we can't abandon Edward, stop speaking to him, blame him, those types of things. We have to act like everything is normal for this to work. He'll only turn this around on Bella if we isolate him."

- -

The next morning, as we all anxiously arrived at school, my thoughts drifted to where Emmett and Jasper were. I hoped to God that they found something and proved that this girl had an effect on Edward, and it wasn't just him desiring her.

I wouldn't be able to bear it if this were just an average human girl who had caught his eye, and that he was just going to throw me away like garbage. That would be…insufferable, I'd no longer have the will to live if that were the case.

Just as I stepped out of the car, something across the lot captured my attention. It was…him…and her, holding hands, all smiles as they walked towards the building.

I think I gagged, but wasn't certain, all feeling had fled from my body, leaving only an unsettling numb.

The first half of the day passed me by in a torturous flurry and by the time lunch crawled around, I wanted nothing more than to simply run away from this colossal mess. But I wouldn't…couldn't. It wasn't my desire to fight Edward's new addiction, I had to. I needed him in every possible way a person could need someone else. I loved him with every bone in my body, every fiber of my being, for all of eternity. The unbreakable emotion would never go away, would never be watered down, or ever forgotten.

Even if I wished to forget this chaos and just flee, that plan would never proceed. Sure, it hurt like hell to stay here and fight, to witness the new couple's affections, but this was love, and I had to endure it if I was going to steal my Edward back from the woman's evil clutch upon him.

And so I would.

Because, even after all the pain he's brought me in the years I've known him, being with him was still worth the struggle. I still wanted him, quite desperately, even though he'd discarded me like a week old newspaper. If only-

A jolting noise carried me out of my reverie, and my eyes searched for the disruption. Some classmate had been slammed into his locker by another student, a brawl ensuing. I ignored them, hastily making my way through the crowd that had formed around them and into the nearly dead cafeteria.

My eyes almost instantly located my family, so I threw a few items on a tray, paid for them, and glided towards their table. But when I settled into my usual spot, something that hadn't occurred to me before was slapped right into my face. Edward was sitting here….alone. The whore was nowhere to be seen.

Silence echoed tensely around the small area, ricocheting from person to person, all stony still, waiting with baited breath for something between us to be spoken.

But it never happened.

We all just remained there, awkwardly quiet.

Deciding to be brave, I smiled up at my daughter. "How was class this morning, baby?"

She shrugged, her eyes burning holes angrily into her father's direction. "I wouldn't know."

"What?" Edward and I asked in unison, to which she shot a glare at him when his eyes met hers.

"I didn't go to class. Sarah wasn't feeling well, and I just arrived here fifteen minutes ago. Both of you would know this if you actually paid attention to us every once in awhile," she snapped.

Guilt shot into my veins like ice water, coursing through my body agonizingly slow. Before I could voice my apology, she had shot across the room, and through the doors, out of my sight. Jacob hurriedly trailed after her, his panicked eyes finding mine for a brief moment.

"What had gotten into her?" I grumbled to no one in particular.

"I'm not sure," Jasper unexpectedly replied. I hadn't even noticed that he and Emmett had returned so soon. "Her emotions have been all over the place the past couple of months. She's just a bit shook up right now, I think. I'm pretty sure she inherited her mood swings from her father though."

Edward, however, disregarded Jasper's playful jab at him. His eyes stayed downward, fixed on a vibrant apple resting on his tray.

"Oh god, that's always fun," Rosalie piped in. "But wouldn't that have happened years ago? We would have seen signs of Mr. Moody in her several years before this. Maybe she's just having an emotional day because Sarah's sick and she's worried for her."

"Or maybe-" Alice's sentence was abruptly interrupted as her eyes glossed over, and I knew she was being thrust into a different time, somewhere in the future.

Edward's sharp inhale of breath first alerted me that something was off, and when he stood from his seat with irritation, sauntering out of the cafeteria, I was hyperaware that this was something bad. A thunderous bang sounded out from the direction he stalked off in, and I assumed that he had taken his anger out on an unsuspecting locker or wall.

"Alice, what did you see?" I questioned, frantic.

She stared at me, stunned, for a moment before composing herself. "Uh…I really don't think it's my place to tell you, but believe me, you'll find out tomorrow at 5:43PM; all of you will." She glanced around the table at our family's wide, curious eyes.

"Is it…" I took a deep breath, timidly continuing. "Does it have anything to do with _her?_"

Alice's head shook before I had even finished my sentence. "Oh, no, honey, I would tell you if it did. This is something bigger than that. It's good news, for once. Perhaps it will even help things a bit."

I groaned, shutting my eyes. "Alice, the suspension is killing me. Can you please spill?"

Her topaz eyes twinkled in the florescent lighting of our school's cafeteria. "Not a chance."

"But Edward knows," I muttered childishly.

"And it's not my fault that he's a nosey thought reader, now is it? Plus, it doesn't even matter that he knows. I'm pretty sure he'd rather spend the rest of eternity without this bit of information."

"Alice," I groaned again.

- -

After the bell rang, I traipsed sluggishly towards Biology, wishing to die rather than witness another hour of my husband getting snuggly with another woman.

But then a thought occurred to me, and I almost immediately changed the course of my steps, heading towards a new direction. I wasn't forced to attend this class, and it's not like I didn't have perfect grades anyways. So why should I have to go when it only brought me pain? I should be allowed to ditch, do something for myself every now and again. And right at this moment, I wanted to visit Sarah, to be able to use some of my now unwanted love. I desired to coddle someone, a natural maternal instinct, and to be affectionate with another being.

And so I did, very smugly, I might add.

I drove home, picking up my granddaughter and out of Esme's hair for awhile.

When I pulled up, Esme rushed out to greet me, presuming that something horrible had happened. I quickly eased her fears, explaining that I didn't want to see that god-awful woman's face ever again, and that I shouldn't have to.

She cheered me on, giving me a triumphant peck on the cheek before leading me to where my little Sarah lay sprawled across the living room couch, watching an old re-run of Dora the Explorer.

"Hello, sweet girl," I cooed when she peered up at me.

I perched myself on the ledge of the ebony sofa, right beside her, brushing her curled bangs away from her face. "Hi, Grandma," she rasped, her voice throaty.

"How are you feeling?" I wondered, keeping my tone low.

Her eyes began to tear up, and I instantly regretted asking the question. "I don't feel good," she cried. "My tummy hurts and my throat is scratchy and I don't like it."

"Aw, my poor baby," I whispered tenderly, scooping the small creature up in my arms and wrapping a blanket around us. Her little head burrowed into my neck, hushed sobs coming from her. I felt horrible for doing this to her, that I had caused her to cry. "I'm sorry I upset you."

Her overly-warm lips pressed onto the side of my throat, placing a loving kiss on it. My hand darted up to feel her forehead, and just by that I could tell that her body temperature was five degrees higher than normal.

"Esme," I called, "She has a fever."

"Carlisle checked her this morning before he left, and he ordered that I must bring her in if she gets a fever or throws up. Do you want to take her?"

I nodded, jumping at the chance to spend more time with my baby, even if she was feeling horrible.

Ten minutes later had me behind the wheel of my car again, pulling into the local hospital. I parked outside of the children's wing, un-strapping Sarah's tiny body from her car seat and into my arms. I trekked through the snowy-slushy lot and through the automatic sliding doors.

After explaining to the receptionist that Doctor Carlisle Cullen needed to be paged as soon as possible, as he was her pediatrician. She responded kindly, telling me she'd notify him right away and led me into a brightly decorated check up room for us to wait in.

I hopped up onto the thin paper covered bed, my granddaughter still bundled up, snuggled to my chest. Her breathing was very light, informing me that she was asleep, so I left her be. I wondered randomly why the receptionist didn't ask how I was related to this child, or even question where Esme was.

A few minutes passed, and there was still no sign of Carlisle, so I hummed to myself, absentmindedly twirling one of Sarah's curls around my finger.

Finally, nearly fifteen minutes after I had entered the building, the man we came to see opened that door. His eyes assessed mine for a minute in shock. "Bella?" he questioned, confusion in his expression.

"I decided to come home early today and look who I found." I gestured towards the unconscious little girl resting against my chest. "She has a fever, approximately 103.3°F."

He placed his pale hand upon the Sarah's forehead, then glanced up at me. "Very good, Bella," he praised. "You were exactly right."

"Thank you."

I silently nudged my granddaughter, trying to wake her. "Wake up now, honey. Papa has to see what's wrong with you so he can help you get better."

Her eyelids fluttered open, gazing up at me groggily. "Okay," she complied.

- -

After Carlisle only a quick twenty minutes, we were exiting the hospital, getting in the car to drive to the grocery store to pick up her prescription from the pharmacy. It turned out Sarah had come down with strep throat, which doesn't really explain her tummy ache, but she could have fabricated that little bit.

When we arrived home, I carried her up to her bed after giving her the first dose of her medicine, cocooning her in a mass of blankets. Kissing her forehead, I whispered for her to call if she needed me, and that I'd be just right down in the kitchen with her Nana.

Esme was sitting at the breakfast bar when I entered, causally flipping through a Home & Garden magazine. I situated myself next to her, placing my arms on the bar and laying my head atop them.

"Are you alright, dear?" she asked with concern.

"No."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Bella," she warned.

I sighed heavily. "Esme, I'm fine. Just dealing with some stuff, you know. There's so much to think about"

We were quiet for a few moments, and I was satisfied that she had seemed to drop the uneasy topic. But, of course, this was Esme, and she wouldn't just let it go.

"He loves you."

The simple statement halted my breath in my throat, my heart squeezing like a painful lump in my chest. "Please don't," I begged in a whisper. "I don't want to think about it."

Her hand slapped sharply on the counter, and to be honest, it frightened me. I had never seen Esme this way before. "Isabella Marie Cullen, I will not allow you to sit here and bottle up all of your pain. You don't deserve this, and your husband is being a jackass."

The cursing caused my head to snap up, my wide eyes finding hers. They were still golden-brown, but a small cloud of black hovered over them, her fierce loyalty and determination. I opened my mouth to defend Edward, but she beat me to it. "And don't even say that it's not his fault. We already know it isn't. But this is causing you pain, and that is not something I will take lightly. Honey, you need to talk to somebody. Every day since we first encountered this woman, I've watched your suffering, and it kills me. You try to hide it, and you conceal it quite well. I'm not sure that much of the family notices, too caught up in their lives, but I see it. And it's eating away at you, you're wasting away right in front of me and I won't let it go on any longer! You deserve eternal happiness, nothing less. Edward isn't in the right state of mind, but I have faith in my son. He won't let you go at the drop of a hat. Sooner or later he'll realize what's happening, and he'll come back to you."

She shook her head. "And if he doesn't, we'll just have to go get him. But I don't think so. He loves you more than you realize. You're his whole life."

A fierce sob crashed out of my throat, and I tried with everything in me to keep it at bay, to remain strong. But who was I kidding?

To have someone care for me, this much, to actually say something like this to me, especially in the fragile emotional state I've been in…It was all too much.

I finally cracked.

The pain came flooding out, swallowing me whole. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe as the sobs tore from my throat, one after the other, never ceasing. Two thin, pale arms wrapped around me, and I took comfort in them, burying my face in Esme's solid shoulder.

She held me for a long time, lovingly patting my back and tenderly stroking my hair, until all my pent-up misery had washed out of my system.

"I just love him so much," I blubbered to my second mother, my sobs finally subsided.

She shushed me softly. "I know, sweetie."

"I'm so scared," I admitted. "Terrified that he doesn't love me back anymore, that he doesn't want me. Esme, I'm so scared he'll leave me again. I can't lose him again."

A small sniffle came from her, and I tried peeking up to search her expression, but her hand kept my head firmly in place. "He loves you, Bella, you know that."

"Maybe," I breathed. "But maybe love isn't enough to keep him here."

"Nonsense," she whispered back. "Love is the most powerful emotion out there. He'll find his way again, just give him time. We'll fight this, Bella, and we'll win, I promise you that. _You_ are what he wants, what he's always wanted. You wouldn't be here right now if that weren't true."

A tiny sob slipped out of me again, against my will. I turned my head so instead of being buried into her shoulder, it was resting on it sideways. My vision was directed onto her long, snowy neck. "Thank you, Esme."

"I'm always here for you, Bella, never forget that. But remember what I said; he loves you. When things get tough, hold onto that."

And suddenly, like magic, a small bubble of hope built up inside of me at her words.

**Hmm….so where was Alison/Kendall whenever Edward was seated with his family at lunch? What did Alice see in her vision? What's wrong with Nessie? We'll find out, all in the next chapter! **

**And that Esme, man, do I love her. **

**Once again, my reviewers are wonderful; I love every single one I read. I get very excited and more than likely look like an idiot with the grins I sport while reading them! Love you all! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Whoa, I totally got this chapter out quickly! I couldn't stop writing, I'm going to be sad when this story ends. I'm hoping to nail in the last chapter soon, I'm going for 5 more, an even 20….but, we all know how that works. **

**I think you'll all love this chapter, things get a great deal better, but beware; this is just the eye of the storm. Things **_**will**_** get upsetting very soon!**

**Chp. 15**

_**Broken Promises; Seeking Redemption**_

**BPOV**

"Bella!" Called the gravelly voice of my best friend.

I dashed down the winding staircase and was immediately at Jacob's side. He embraced me for a succinct moment before taking my hand. "Come on, everyone's here, we all need to talk."

I nodded, letting myself be willingly dragged into the living room and pushed down on the couch.

"Alright," Carlisle clapped his hands together to begin, seated across from me on the loveseat with Esme. "Boys, we're listening."

Jasper leaned forward, a small, conquering smile planted on his lips. "Renesmee was correct. This woman, whatever her real name is, is definitely a vampire."

"I knew it! Let's go kill the bitch!" Rosalie shouted, earning a glare from both Carlisle and Esme.

"Calm down, Rosalie," Carlisle warned. "Let Jasper finish."

She rolled her eyes, but otherwise made no more comments.

However, Emmett continued instead of Jasper. "We found loads of stuff. Old pictures that dated back as far as the 1930's, several high school diplomas, and the basement was chalk full of weird mementos, probably from her previous life."

"Or her victims…like a charm for each one," Jasper suggested. "I've heard of killers doing that before."

"But if she killed humans, why would she go to high school?" I wondered.

He shrugged, at a loss. "To mess with people's lives….or maybe she's lonely? It could be a number of reasons. But now we can confront her, now that we know she's a vampire. It makes this whole thing much less uncomplicated."

"When?" I choked out. The sooner the better, in my eyes.

"I have an idea…but Bella, it would involve you not getting to speak with her…."

"Absolutely no way," I hissed.

"Bella, listen to me. We need Edward out of the way for this discussion to take place. You have to ask him to talk after school tomorrow, tell him that he at least owes you some answers."

"You're the only one he'll agree to speak to, Bella," Alice inserted into Jasper's explanation.

I sighed, weighing the pros and cons of this new plan. I really wanted to give the whore a piece of my mind, to threaten her, do _something._ Anything. But if I was offered the chance to speak with Edward…to have him actually pay attention to me, to give me answers….I sought after that more than anything.

And so I relented. "Fine, I'll distract Edward. But you best tell me every single thing that comes out of her mouth."

"Agreed," Alice grinned.

- -

As I was dressing myself for school the next day, my eyes rested on the untouched items hanging over on Edward's side. Picking up one of his shadowy, navy shirts, I inhaled the familiar scent of him, burning my nostrils and throat. It was bittersweet, the smell of him; painful to remember, yet delicious all the same.

My eyes involuntarily snapped shut, torturous thoughts flitting through my brain. Was this the closest I'd be to him for the rest of my immortal life? Sniffing his shirts so I can hang onto him for just a moment longer? Would this plan seriously work, or was he already swallowed whole by Alison Gray?

Did he even think about me anymore? Did he still love me? Or was he crazy about this woman now?

What was wrong with me? Was he bored? Is that why he let himself be drawn in so easily? Did he not have the power within him to fight because he truly didn't want to? Was I not good enough for him to spend eternity with? Did he think he made a mistake in changing me? Did he believe it was a mistake in being the father of my child? Did he see our love one big error?

I put forth a ferocious effort in holding back the sob, but it crushed me, flying out with abandon. I gripped the shirt tightly to my chest, sinking down onto the floor of our once shared closet.

Seconds later, Jacob bolted into the room, stopping short once spotting me. "Oh, honey," he breathed, his eyes sad.

And then, abruptly, I was enclosed within his arms, seated in his lap. Despite telling him I was alright, my forehead pressed into his chest, the feeling of his heart beating against my skin a soothing method.

"Bella, you aren't alright," he argued viciously. "Look at yourself…and over a freaking shirt!"

I shook my head, full of denial, my hand still clasped frantically around the thin fabric. I was fine. I was strong. I just had a momentary fissure line crack in the wall I'd built up. And then another sob bubbled up, uncontrolled.

Renesmee lingered in the doorway, gazing over towards me with pity in her eyes, a narrow trail of tears running down her cheeks. "Mom," she whispered, heartbroken.

I stood up then, out of Jake's arms and held my arm out, watching the shirt float to the ground when I released my finger's firm hold. "I'm alright."

And then she crashed into me, her strong arms squeezing around my waist tightly. "I'm so sorry, Momma," she said quietly, her throat constricted. "They'll fix this tonight when they talk to her. Daddy will come home soon, too, and we'll all be happy again."

"I hope so, baby, god, do I hope so."

- -

Seated in my first period class, I was astonished when instead of ignoring me, Edward sauntered towards the spot next to me, dropping down into it. I avoided glancing over at him, but I knew that his eyes were fixed on me. It was strange…to say the least.

From my little explosion this morning, it had left me feeling mostly a soothing numb, so I couldn't even begin to explain what emotion shot through me when after class, he began walking next to me.

My eyes darted up to his, desperately seeking some sort of answer for his behavior. "Bella, can we talk?" he mumbled, his tone curt.

That word, my name, coming from his lips left me feeling indecipherable warmth spread through my body. I hadn't heard him say it in what seemed like forever.

Realizing I hadn't replied yet, I hurriedly nodded my head. "Of course, but after school."

"Okay," he answered, stalking forward, quickening his pace so he was ahead of me.

- -

The remainder of my day left me in nervous anticipation of what was to come after school let out. My stomach was in a tight knot, my throat was compressed in a lump, my thoughts were a frenzied mess, and I had no idea how to handle this 'discussion' I was about to have with Edward.

I was now trudging out to the parking lot, in search of my husband's peculiar head of hair over the crowd of students. I almost instantly was aware of his presence directly behind me. "Ready?" he breathed, and I could feel the faint tickling of his breath on the back of my bare neck, sending tingles straight through my spine.

I nodded, following him as he took lead, stalking into the woods surrounding our school. He halted, just after the trees concealed us, turning to me with somber eyes.

He gazed at me, his eyes a tormented mess, for several long minutes. Then, with a very deep breath, he began. "Bella, I don't think this is going to work"

I squinted up at him, not comprehending what he was saying. "What?"

He glared down at a mossy tree branch that was lying on the forest floor, his eyes avoiding looking into mine. "Us, Bella, I don't think we're working out anymore." The venom in his tone of voice was terrifying, and I finally realized what he was trying to get across.

My entire body froze. I knew this would happen, but nothing could have prepared for the moment it would actually take place. Behind my lids, the water started building up, but no tears would fall over, and that only made the sting of them hurt that much worse.

My head shook back and forth slowly, and I was completely speechless.

"Bella," he continued, his face appearing as if he were about to vomit. "This is for the best."

"Better for whom, Edward?" I spat at him. "For you or for Alison? It certainly isn't what's best for me."

"Bella, please," his voice was strangled, wavering.

I ignored his request, muttering defiantly, "I don't believe that this is what you want."

Suddenly, he was directly in front of me, only an inch or two separating us. "Accept it, Bella….I don't," he swallowed, his eyes shutting. "I don't want this…I don't want you. I want _her_..."

"You're such a liar." I shoved at his chest. After twenty years of marriage, I could easily detect when he was lying. If he was getting rid of me without a cause, it wouldn't be easy. No, last time he tried to leave me; I gave in way too quickly, digesting the lies he fed me. "You disgust me."

He inhaled a deep, shuddering breath, his eyes finally opening, filled with a self-hatred that was so familiar. "Good. I am disgusting; a filthy, revolting creature, actually, but I'm not lying."

"Edward, don't. This isn't what either of us wants."

"Will you please just believe me?" he shouted, his wintery breath puffing at my face. "I don't want you….God, I don't want you anymore!"

Without my consent, my hand reached across the space between us, slapping him across the face. Hard. He blinked over widened eyes, astonished that I'd lay a hand on him. My lip quivered, and I back up a few paces, a sob tearing from my throat. How could I?

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, another cry sounding out after the words tumbled out. "I didn't-"

"Bella," he breathed back, gingerly touching his cheek. I timidly peeked up at him, expected to find his eyes blazing with anger, to have him tell me off. But instead, his eyes held a sorrowful stare, and he remained stony silent.

When he didn't speak at all for several minutes, I decided to risk breaking the quiet, staring him pointedly in the eyes. "Edward," I began. "Where did I go wrong? What did I do to make you give into her so easily? I've been thinking about it all the time…Did I bore you? Was this marriage and immortality thing a mistake to you?"

A hushed sob broke through Edward's tightly pursed lips, and after everything, I still desired nothing more than to console him in that moment. My eyes tightened, gazing despondently at him. He crumpled down to his knees at my feet, his head in his hands. "Never, Bella….Never."

"What?" I asked, my own cries wanting to be released at the sight of him.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter, I have to leave, and it's for the best."

Anger burst inside of me at his words. He left before, saying it was 'for the best' and look what good it did! Absolutely nothing but pain came from his departure when I was human, and I'll be damned, no pun intended, if I wasn't going to remind him.

"What about the last time you left me, huh, Edward?" I snarled. "It obviously wasn't for the best! And you promised me! You freaking swore you wouldn't do this to me again!"

I paused for a moment, continuing this time in a more composed voice. "Edward, I made the choice when you came back the first time. I could be a middle aged woman right now, happily married to Jacob, but I chose _you._ I chose immortality and this life because I loved you. I birthed your child, even though it was literally killing me, because I loved you that much. I wanted to share that with you, even though I had never wanted kids before. I've given up _everything_ to be with you. Everything! I gave up my friends, my life, my humanity…my heart. And now you're just going to throw it away for some teenaged vampire you met two and a half months ago? I've been married to you for twenty freaking years, and you're telling me you have stronger feelings for her than you do for me?"

He didn't speak, still settled on the ground, his hands buried into his hair, tugging angrily. "She controls my life! I have no choice!" he yelled at the forest floor, smacking one of his fists down, leaving a deep little crater in the Earth.

"She made you do this, didn't she?" I exclaimed, realization creeping though my mind.

He finally lifted his head, his eyes searching mine. After a moment, he nodded, his golden-black orbs darting to the ground again. "I feel so volatile, Bella, I have no control of anything I do. Like the other day, the things I said to Renesmee…" his voice broke, another sob sounding out. "I didn't mean to, I swear. Alison…she…I can't stop, there's nothing to hold onto anymore…to ground me…but that's no excuse. What I've done to my family, to _you_…it's unforgivable."

I tentatively knelt down beside him, one of my fingers coaxing his chin up so our gazes met. His eyes were agonized, tortured even, filled with self-loathing. "Not unforgivable," I whispered, my head shaking slightly.

"I don't deserve you, Bella. If I was just stronger…I could have fought this. I tried, Bella, I tried so hard, but I failed. I failed you. I can't…I won't hurt you anymore."

"Edward, if you leave it'll only hurt me that much more," I replied softly.

"I don't think I can stop," he whispered brokenly. "And I hate her so much; with everything in me I despise her. But when she's around, I turn into a completely different person. Someone else. Someone who wants her, more than I can comprehend. And she won't let me go. She doesn't care who she hurts…who I am devoted to."

"You can stop. I know you can." My hand slowly trailed from his chin to cup his cheek. In return, he reached up, spreading his fingers over mine, twining them together. "Do you love me?"

He nodded. "More than anything."

"Then you can stop," I whispered determinedly.

He shook his head, his eyes closing again. "It doesn't work that way. Thoughts of her plague my mind when I'm away from her, twist everything around until she's all that's left."

His words shot pain through my entire system, and I shuddered lightly, my breath shooting out quickly. "Did you ever think about me when you were away?"

His careful topaz irises assessed mine for several unbearably lengthy seconds. "Yes," he answered cautiously, speaking slowly. "But I tried not to. It was excruciating when thoughts of your enchanting smile filtered through my mind, or one of my favorite memories, like the time we visited Chicago, entered my thoughts."

"I thought about you, too," I smiled at him forlornly. "I missed you a lot, you know."

The smile that graced his features in response took my breath away. He was truly beautiful. "I don't think you could comprehend how much I've missed being next to you, holding you, loving you.

"Bella, if this is going to work, we need to do something to keep her away. I'm so sorry I ever let things get this far." His head fell onto the center of my chest, right below my neck, his shoulders hunching as he drew in a wispy breath.

"Already taken care of."

**I can't help but still love Edward. I really, really, really cannot wait until a certain chapter….I think you'll all sing halleluiahs when it comes out. And anyways, we still don't know the whole Renesmee deal, that'll be next chapter. Stay tuned! Love you all, my reviewers! I got the most reviews out of one chapter **_**ever**_** in the history of my Fan Fiction career last night. You all are wonderful! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Wow, I am so so so sorry! This took WAY longer than necessary! I'm truly, sincerely sorry that I took this long to update, but trust me, I had my reasons. Family drama, issues, life! Things like that just get in the way sometimes!**

**Unfortunately, you may not get all of your answers with this chapter, but I promise next chapter will be whenever Renesmee's secret is revealed. It just didn't fit into this chapter. Oh, and I highly doubt any of you suspect what's happening to her!**

**Chp. 16**

_**In Search of Answers**_

**BPOV**

"_Bella, if this is going to work, we need to do something to keep her away. I'm so sorry I ever let things get this far." His head fell onto the center of my chest, right below my neck, his shoulders hunching as he drew in a wispy breath._

"_Already taken care of."_

- -

He lifted his head from its resting place, his scorching yellow irises leveling with mine.

"What do you mean?"

"The others," I explained. "Our family, I mean, is at her house, right now. They're going to give her a stern warning, offering the threat of death if she continues…whatever she's doing to you. By the way, I've been wondering….Where was she that day you sat at our table?"

His shoulders straightened, stiffening, his breath ceasing. "Uh…that morning…it was the morning after the night I didn't come home with you. Well, after our first class she was whining about something, I didn't even bother to listen, but it had me irritated. I basically told her to piss off. I told her I didn't love her, or want her, and that whatever she was doing was destroying my family. She laughed at me, Bella, _laughed!_ She ordered me spend the day with my family, see how it works out. If you would have made it to Biology, you would have seen her sitting by your little Cory friend and me up in the usual spot. As you can imagine, she lured me back by the end of the day…"

After trailing off for a moment, his eyes faraway, he shook his head regretfully. "I'm so sorry. You'll never know how sorry I am, how much I hate myself for putting you through this. Every day, I watched you suffer, and it was the absolute worst feeling in the world; knowing I was the foundation of it, that I was cause of you hurting, and that I couldn't stop." Again, a muffled sob escaped his throat, his face now directed downward in shame.

"I should have come to you from the beginning, did something halfway intelligent. I should have-"

"Shhh," I hushed. "Things between us won't be the same for awhile, we both are aware of that. I don't know how long it will take for me to be able to kiss you, or even hold your hand without feeling the sting of what happened with Alison. And yes, you _did_ hurt me, quite a bit. But I could have done a number of things as well…

"What I'm saying is we all have regrets, Edward. And you can't blame yourself for everything. You aren't responsible for this. This woman, whatever her real name is, has power over you. You said it yourself, she controls your life. Things could have been handled better, but hey, mistakes are made, and it's natural, expected, really. What's important now is that we're together again."

"Evelyn," he whispered, nearly inaudible, even with my heightened senses.

"What was that?"

"Evelyn," he repeated, now articulating the word loud and clear. "Her name is Evelyn."

I squinted calculatingly. "Just how much did she tell you, Edward?"

- -

**AlicePOV**

"Oh god, that conversation isn't going to be pretty," I muttered to myself as I watched Edward stalking towards the forest, Bella trailing anxiously behind him.

"What are they going to say?" Jasper asked from beside me.

I shook my head, my lips pursed. "I wish I knew."

"You mean you haven't _seen_ it?" he questioned, incredulous.

"Nope. I haven't been searching for it, and I don't want to. They deserve to have a private conversation, especially considering the issues they're trying to work through. But I could tell, you know, from their faces, this probably won't be good." Fixing my gaze off of the couple, I continued. "We should go; they're probably waiting for us to leave before they speak, because I can't hear any talking."

Jasper and I then loaded into his car, Rosalie and Emmett waiting for us in the backseat. Renesmee and Jacob were swinging by the house in her car to pick up Carlisle and Esme; Sarah already safely at Connie's. **(A/N: Sarah's human enough to be able to stay with a sitter)**

"Ugh," Rosalie started in as soon as the car was started. "I really want her to _not_ back off. I can't wait to tear into that bitch."

"Me neither!" exclaimed Emmett. "I don't know what Carlisle's thinking. This 'warning' will only encourage her to push the limit even further. She'll want to piss us off, thinking her little Edward will protect her. I know how this works."

I poked my head around my seat, raising an expectant eyebrow at him. "Really? How exactly do you know this?"

He shrugged. "From experience. All of the warnings I've gotten over the years for doing things I wasn't supposed to just had me excited to do something worse, just to see what would happen."

My eyes rolled at my dear brother; of course that was how he knew. I twisted back around so I was facing the correct way and snatched the hand of Jasper's that was idly drumming on the console. A smile lifted his lips in return, and he kissed the back of my hand delicately.

"What do you think Edward and Bella are talking about?" Emmett inquired thoughtfully. "Do you think they're fighting or do you think Edward realized how stupid he was being?"

"What if they broke up?" Rosalie gasped.

"Oh, hell, if he was that much of an idiot, I'd have to go beat his ass until his common sense returned to him. Really? Breaking up with Bella? And for that little piece of trash? God, I don't even want to think about that," Emmett boomed, his expression one of unadulterated anger.

"I think I'd have to help you with that," Jasper chimed in.

This was almost surprising, Jasper's words, that he'd proudly defend Bella from his brother's newfound hurtful tendencies. Almost. But I knew, deep down, he truly cared for Bella, as a sister, of course. Most wouldn't realize the close bond they formed over the years, as it was very subtle, and was only revealed sparsely.

"Me too," I exclaimed, joining their 'beat up Edward' party. "But guys, really, let's not think about something like that. This is Edward and Bella we're talking about. If they break up, it won't be that easy."

"It was the first time," said Emmett.

I sighed. "They were miserable, Emmett, absolutely worthless. I really don't think they'll put themselves through that again, wouldn't you say? And it was never _easy_ for them to be apart."

"But neither is them being together. Every time they think they're out of danger, every time they loosen up, let their guards down, something horrible like this happens," he retorted.

"You want to know what I say?" Jasper asked unexpectedly. "I think we should mind our own business."

"I like that idea," Rosalie dismissed.

- -

"Ready?" my husband asked with a smirk when we got out of the car, his arm lazily, but affectionately coming to rest across my shoulders.

"Yes, sir," I smiled back, turning around to glance at the rest of our family.

Carlisle then took the lead, knocking on _Alison-Kendall-whoever the hell's _door gently.

"Knocking, really?" Rosalie exclaimed. "God, you're going to make us look like a bunch of yielding little chumps."

Everyone ignored her, bringing our attention towards the now open door, revealing a woman none of have ever seen before.

- -

**BPOV**

"_Just how much did she tell you, Edward?"_

- -

"Tell me?" he scoffed, shaking his head like I had just uttered the most ridiculous of questions. "She told me nothing. I found out everything I needed to know while she was out murdering her late night snacks."

"What did you find?" I asked curiously.

"Photos, school documents, diplomas, and one very dated birth certificate belonging to an Evelyn Ann Elliot, date of birth May 21, 1921."

"Are you sure it was her?"

He shook his head, contemplating. "Not entirely certain, but it most likely is. From glancing at the photographs, the dates seemed to match up. Her middle name on one of her high school diplomas was actually Evelyn, back in the 60's. Several times she's gone by Ann, but most of the times she just creates identities."

"Has she shown you what she looks like? Her vampire self?"

"No."

I contemplated that for a brief moment. Have I been worrying needlessly the past few weeks over a nonexistent relationship? Has she really told him nothing, done nothing to or with him? "Edward, I need you to be honest with me. Can you please tell me the absolute truth to the question I'm about to ask? I don't care how horrible it is, I just need to know."

For a long minute he simply stared at me, debating. Finally, his head nodded, albeit a bit hesitantly.

"How far did you go with Evelyn?" I blurted out, internally cursing my lack of tactfulness.

His entire body froze beside me, his eyes heavily guarded with something akin to guilt. He remained completely silent for a few lengthy seconds, and then said what I'd been aching to hear with a breath of honesty. "If you are under any impression that I have been unfaithful to you, then you are wrong," he spoke fiercely, yet somehow soft, his eyes blazing with anger. "Of course, holding hands with another woman may be considered risqué to certain people, but I swear to you that it never went any further than that. I don't even think she really wanted me in that way."

"What do you mean? Of course she wanted you. Why else would she do this?"

He shook his head, as if bewildered. "I have no idea. Loneliness? Or possibly she just did it out of malevolence. She may be a soulless monster whom only seeks out the destruction of those around her."

"We need to figure her out. We can't let her continue if that is what she's doing. This is messing with real people's lives and families. We cannot let it go on any longer."

"I know."

Something occurred to me then, and without thinking I asked the question on my mind. "Edward, what did you hear when you read her mind?"

"She blocks her thoughts from me using her ability, I think."

My eyes widen, taking in the strange knowledge.

"Explain."

- -

**AlicePOV**

"Oh, the Cullen's!" the young female vampire at the door exclaimed. I assumed her to be the woman causing all of this trouble. "Things are about to get so much more fun!"

"Alison Gray?" Carlisle asked tentatively, his expression revealing his uncertainty.

She nodded excitedly. "That'd be me."

I eyed her disdainfully from head to toe. She was very petite, nearly as short as me. Her hair was a flowing wave, cascading down and settling right below her shoulders. It was highlighted so precisely, it was verging onto strawberry blonde, but was just a few shades lighter; leaving it a strange tint I hadn't seen much of in my time. I begrudgingly admitted to myself that she was, in fact, startlingly beautiful, even for our kind, although she didn't hold a candle to Rose.

But out of everything, one small detail stood out to me, and it was the vivid crimson colored irises blazing oddly in my direction. Why she was staring at me, I wasn't certain.

"We've come here to-"

Alison cut Carlisle off before he could barely get any words out. "I know why you're here, but you're wasting your time."

"Why do you say that?" Carlisle questioned.

"Because I haven't done anything, of course!" she declared with faux innocence.

"We all know what you've done, you home wrecking whore! Don't play stupid!" Rosalie ground out, venom laced within the malice of her voice. "There's no use in trying to hide anything. But we're here to tell you it needs to stop."

"Or what?" she asked tauntingly, as if she doubted Rose's ability to hold her own.

"How about death?" Rosalie smirked.

Alison's eyes widened fractionally for a brief moment before her annoyingly arrogant expression was slapped back in place. "I don't think so. Aren't you supposed to be…I don't know…good or something? You wouldn't possibly consider murdering someone, especially one who has done nothing to blame."

"Lies!" Rosalie spit.

She had unofficially taken over as our leader for the moment; Carlisle stood by regarding her with a thoughtful expression, but making no comment.

Abruptly, Alison had turned to face Emmett, who regarded her menacingly, arms crossed. Her bright eyes took on a childlike innocence, verging on something flirty. "You believe me, don't you?" she asked, her tone sugary sweet.

He seemed to be stunned for a long moment, his eyes continuously blinking at random intervals. "Uh…yes?" he muttered awkwardly, more of a question than an answer.

Everyone in the group had been surprised at his response, turning to stare at him incredulously. "Now what about the rest of you boys, huh? You don't believe it either, do you?"

After a hesitant moment, three _no's_ escaped the remainder of the men in our family, and a sharp growl pierced through the air. It took me a moment to realize it had torn up from my own throat.

"Damn it!" I shouted. "She's playing them like she does Edward! We have to get them out of here! Ness, Esme, take them. Rose, we're staying here."

Rose turned her fierce, scorching eyes onto Alison, who minimally shrunk back under the intense scrutiny. While I could tell she was nervous, two against one, she kept up a brave, confident front. "As I've already told your darling Bella, anything you do is worthless."

"Really?" I asked with a smirk. "Killing you wouldn't reverse your effect?"

She gulped, carefully shaking her head. "No."

"Hmm," Rosalie seemed to ponder the idea. "Guess we'll just have to find out for ourselves."

**Oh, IMPORTANT, before you leave! I'm going to hopefully get the little banner of Evelyn up tonight along with the chapter, but bear with me if I don't!**

**Love you all, you are wonderful! Reviews are even better than getting revenge on Evelyn!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**We finally find out what's up with Renesmee!!!**

**Please excuse my lack of proofreading, I got too excited to post. So, unfortunately, this wasn't spellchecked and probably includes lots of grammar mistakes! Oh, and I'm sorry, but this is short and skips POV's a lot. **

**Chp. 17**

_**Revealed**_

**EPOV**

"_She blocks her thoughts from me using her ability, I think."_

_My eyes widen, taking in the strange knowledge. _

"_Explain."_

- -

I carefully crafted my answer, explaining to Bella what had been my assumption ever since the truth about Evelyn had been revealed.

"I think," I started hesitantly, "that maybe she alters her entire personality along with the physical appearances. And with that ability, she changes her way of thinking, or leaves her thought process out of her body. Like she thinks the thoughts, but they're not actually there. I had been able to read her mind when she was under the identity of Kendall Summers, though, which tells me that her mind isn't silent to me like yours. She did something. _What,_ that would be, is still a mystery yet to be solved."

"So is that all you know of her power?" she inquired, the eagerness apparent in her expression.

_Maybe,_ my mind answered cryptically while in actuality, I replied, "Yes."

My theory was that her ability she gained with vampirism was based on desire. On attraction. It was my belief that she could modify her entire self to lure any one male in, to force them into craving her like the air they breathed. To long to be with or at least in close proximity to her, no matter how much they loathed her, no matter who their heart previously belonged to, no matter the repercussions. Evelyn Elliot was like a destructive magnet, and we were all the tiny pieces of metal, scattered helplessly around her, always attracted. We could not pull ourselves away from her once she had lured us, her magnetization too powerful.

No, not alone.

A lone thought seeped into my brain then.

Bella could be my other magnet.

The most dominant of all, the one creature in the entire universe who had all of me, held the highest supremacy in my life. Bella, with our infinite love, could drag me away from this addiction, and I would pull through, for her, for myself, our family. I knew it wouldn't be without effort, very aware of the strong authority Evelyn held on me, but I'd go to the end of the world and back just to be even worthy of Bella's affections.

She hummed in response to me, my internal monologue taking up only a twenty-sixth of a second. "We'll just have to see what the others found out about her."

"Hopefully something important."

She glanced down at her watch then. "Oh, it's 5:11. We'd better head back to the house. Ness has something to tell everyone? Can you please just tell me? Now that I'm thinking about it, I won't be able to stop until I know."

Remorse filled my heart then at the thought of the vision of Alice's I had witnessed the other day in the cafeteria. My poor, sweet, innocent daughter, merely a victim to all of the wreckage I had caused the past couple of months.

"What is it?" Bella whispered, unsuspecting of the terrible news we would hear in approximately thirty-one minutes and twenty-three seconds.

I shook my head, trying to lighten my expression. "Nothing, let's go."

I offered her my hand, as I normally would, and she stared blankly at it for a moment, a heartbreaking sadness clouding her bottomless gold eyes. I retracted it suddenly, realization flooding my system, along with a certainly deserved stab of rejection.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, keeping my eyes to the forest floor.

I could hear the smooth sound as she swallowed nervously. "No, it's…uh, it's okay. I'm just, I'm not ready."

"It's alright." But it wasn't. It's not like I was incapable of comprehending _why_ she didn't fancy the idea of holding my hand, but it didn't make the sting of it any less painful.

This was my fault, my horridly reckless decision to hurt her so badly, and now I just had to live with the consequences.

- -

_**RosePOV**_

"_Really?" I asked with a smirk. "Killing you wouldn't reverse your effect?"_

_She gulped, carefully shaking her head. "No."_

"_Hmm," Rosalie seemed to ponder the idea. "Guess we'll just have to find out for ourselves."_

- -

"Wait, wait, wait!" the whore exclaimed defensively. "Just…let's not get too excited, okay? You know nothing of my powers, or their effect. It wouldn't be too wise to off me when you don't know how permanent this is."

"Then reverse it," I growled, challenging her with my eyes to defy me. See what happens, bitch.

This was bizarre to me, feeling this instinctual protectiveness over Edward and Bella, of all people. But that wasn't just it. This affected the entire lot of us, Renesmee included. And nobody hurt her. Not without dealing with me as a result.

And playing a mind trick, or whatever the hell she does, on my husband? Right in front of me?

I was furious.

"And if I don't want to?" she arched a finely trimmed eyebrow.

"Did you seriously just ask me that?" I deadpanned, internally surprised at the woman's stupidity.

"Killing me won't help the situation," she smirked evilly. "Who knows; maybe it will even make it worse?"

"How would that make things worse!?" Alice seethed. "I'm pretty sure everyone will be much, much happier when you are long gone."

"What if he killed himself, too? What if, because I'm dead, he would want to be dead alongside me? It could happen if I wished for it to. So…I'm thinking that keeping me alive would be in your best interest."

_Damn it!_ My mind screamed. The dumbass might actually have to live because of this uncertainty. There was the slight possibility that she was bluffing, but even with my hastiness to get rid of her, I knew that we could not risk it. Not again.

"Glad I could help, ladies. You can leave now."

And on that final note, Alison Gray softly shut her front door, leaving Alice and I standing awkwardly out on the front porch.

- -

**BPOV**

I felt awful.

That wounding expression, creased on the hard lines of Edward's flawless face, was unbearable.

Why couldn't I just hold his hand? Why did it, now that I had him back, hurt so bad to touch him?

We raced back to the house in utter silence, the weight of his grief settling over us like a storm cloud. I wanted this to work, for us to get back to the way we used to be, more than anything I've ever wanted in my entire life, but I needed time. It couldn't be rushed, either.

The moment would come, maybe tomorrow, maybe a month from now; eventually, but not now.

It was nearing 5:20 when we flew through the back door of the house. When we entered the living room, Esme, Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Renesmee, and Jacob lounged on the various couches and chairs. Their heads snapped up in unison upon our entrance.

Renesmee smiled, just a faint groove of her lips, barely even noticeable. Her eyes were hallowed out, the normally vibrant chocolate waves only a dim mud brown.

Edward and I silently walked over to the free spaces on the loveseat, sitting ourselves a foot apart. At this, I noticed my daughter's slight smile twist into a frown, and it left me feeling uneasy. Edward seemed to notice as well, his eyes gazing sadly at her.

Minutes ticked by, drug slowly…endlessly.

With no warning, Emmett began to speak, his tone somber. "Dude, when I first found out about you and Alison, I was pissed off, believe me. But she did her magic on me and now I understand how you feel. So don't beat yourself up over it, because whatever that shit was, it was powerful."

"You can't possibly understand the all consuming guilt I feel," Edward murmured darkly. "And her real name is Evelyn."

"Evelyn?" Emmett repeated.

I nodded after awhile when Edward's verbal skills seemingly disappeared. "Yes. Evelyn Ann Elliot. She was born in 1921, Edward said."

In the blink of an eye, Rosalie and Alice appeared. Rosalie was visibly fuming. "My god, that woman!" she growled. "I could just-"

"Enough, Rosalie," Carlisle intervened. "What happened after we left?"

"Absolutely nothing," Alice sighed. "She said we couldn't kill her, or she'd make Edward kill himself. That her effect on him wouldn't reverse with death."

"But it's possible that she was bluffing," said Rosalie.

"What are we going to do?" I asked. "I mean, this isn't that bad of a situation. We need to stop her, somehow, I know. But, at least now we have Edward back. "

"You two are okay now?" Rosalie glanced at the foot of space between us suspiciously.

I nodded. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean we're one hundred percent perfect now. Things won't just go back to normal that easily. It'll take some time, but we're working on it."

She smiled genuinely, and I was taken aback. This wasn't typical Rosalie behavior.

Renesmee stood then, Carlisle at her side, and I took a peek at my watch. 5:42. One minute.

"Do you want to tell them? Or would you like for me to?" Carlisle asked gently.

She contemplated the question for a moment before shaking her head, and sitting back down next to Jacob, who wrapped an arm reassuringly around her. "It's okay, sweetie," he whispered, kissing her temple.

Carlisle turned to face us, and I noticed that Edward was glaring at the floor. "Edward, I'm sure you already know what's going on?"

Edward nodded, but made no comment.

"Alright. Well, the past couple of months, Renesmee has been feeling off, from what she's told me. Very upset no matter what she does, difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping, things like that." Carlisle went on, and something triggered within me.

This was going to be bad.

"She came to me a few mornings ago when all of you were at school, concerned that something might be wrong with her. Unfortunately, we did find something…" he trailed off for a moment.

Tears pricked at my eyes. "What?" I asked desperately. "What did you find?"

"Renesmee suffers from a minor case of clinical depression."

Only one thought occurred to me then. "Alice, you said this was something good!" I accused, my eyes locking onto hers in a full out glower.

**Whoa, so Alice lied? We'll see **_**why**_** next chapter. Love you all and your fabulous reviews! Keep them coming! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Back to Edward's point of view, which I'm very excited about. And I'm very sorry this took so long, this is getting ridiculous, but my life has a lot going on right now. I apologize. There was a major downfall in reviews last chapter, which worries me slightly. Please tell me if I do something stupid with my story and I'll find a way to fix it.**

**And by the way, who expected depression? Hah, even I didn't. It was **_**going**_** to be pregnancy, until a few chapters back when I decided that that was way too typical. I thought depression would add a nice twist.**

**Chp. 18**

_**Making Progress**_

**EPOV**

The room settled into an excruciatingly uncomfortable silence, not one of us knowing how to respond to the news.

Bella abruptly let loose a feral hiss from beside me, and I glanced over towards her, concerned. She was still glaring at Alice, as she had been, for the past three minutes and twenty-four seconds.

This was getting ridiculous.

After Bella's accusation towards Alice, the family remained quiet, inspecting the two of them with curious eyes and thoughts.

Finally, Alice stepped forward, her eyes piercing into my wife's furiously. "I'm sorry, Bella, but it was the only way to calm you down! Do you honestly think you would have let it go if I would have told you something bad was happening, or that it was you and your husband's fault? Or that your daughter is suffering through something while you two are too busy bickering about something so insanely stupid that it should never have been a problem in the first place?!"

And that's when I snapped.

I stood hastily and stormed out before I inflicted harm upon my sister, taking my anger out instead on the coffee table on my way out. I kicked it harshly, sending it soaring across the room.

Esme gasped. _Oh my._

Carlisle directed his thoughts towards me once I was safely in the hallway. _Son, settle down. Tearing apart Esme's furniture is disrespectful._

And, of course, Jacob's mind was just as annoying as ever. _Wow. Anger management, much?_

"My fault?" Bella exclaimed angrily. "How the hell is that freaking woman and her love spell my fault?!"

"I'm sorry, Bella, I didn't mean that! I was just angry."

I slithered down against the wall, settling onto the floor and throwing my head into my hands, running them through my hair.

"Well it sure as hell sounded like you meant it, Alice."

Everyone could hear the hysteria in Bella's voice, and if not for the all-consuming guilt and overwhelming fury coursing within me, I'd be right at her side. She shouldn't have to feel accused, all alone in there, by everyone. Besides, it was so clearly _my _fault.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I swear, I didn't mean it. It's just…all of this is just…too much at once."

Bella ignored Alice's apology, and instead spoke softly towards our daughter. "Ness, I'm so sorry. I never meant to make you feel that way. I don't even know what to say."

"It's alright, Mom. It's not your fault, and Dad, I know you're listening, it's not your fault either."

"Take that back," I growled darkly, knowing full well that the entire household had heard me.

"No."

I jumped up and hastily re-entered the room, coming close to her, on the verge of shouting. "How the hell _isn't_ it my fault?! I'm the one who's been obsessed with another freaking woman for the past two and a half months! I'm the one who _wasn't_ here for you! I've been so caught up in my own issues; I hadn't even thought to pay attention to you! Or my granddaughter. Or hell, even my own wife! So don't even attempt to deny that this isn't my fault!"

Tears trickled lightly down her reddened cheeks, and she gazed at me with something I could only describe as sympathy. "Daddy," she whispered.

_Please stop yelling_, her thoughts pleaded.

"We need to talk about this," Bella ordered sternly, glancing back and forth amongst the two of us. "As a family."

Renesmee gave a simple nod and swiveled around, walking graciously up the staircase.

"Could you give us some privacy?" Bella requested, and immediately the rest of the family filtered out of the house.

Alice, however, remained where she stood, Jasper lingering in the back doorway, watching her apprehensively. Alice determinedly marched towards Bella and yanked her into an apologetic embrace, squeezing encouragingly. "I'm sorry, again," Alice whispered. "I didn't mean it."

Surprisingly, Bella returned it, murmuring back. "I know."

And then Alice smiled and flitted through the back door, snatching Jasper's hand as she passed him. I focused my eyes on my wife, finding her staring sadly at the vacant staircase. Eventually, her scorching eyes darted back to mine, trapping me within her gaze. "Ready?"

Instead of answering, I simply ambled up to Renesmee and Jacob's room, where we discovered our daughter sitting against the headboard of her bed, picking at a hangnail. I perched myself on the ledge of the bed and reached out to place on top of her hands. She peeked up at me with pursed lips, and her thoughts were a mystery to me, a complete blank.

My head snapped towards Bella, who rested on the other side of our daughter, conscious of the fact that she was responsible for the mental block. "I thought it would be best if you couldn't read her mind. It's not fair to any of us."

I inhaled a shallow breath, trying to adjust myself to the abnormal silence which seemed to echo tauntingly around the room.

Bella took charge, asking the first of many questions to come. "Can you explain to us exactly what the matter is, honey?"

Renesmee gathered herself for a moment before finally speaking. "Do you guys mind if I just tell you the entire story? It would be easier."

"That's perfectly fine," I replied while Bella just nodded.

"Back a few months ago, when things around here started getting…weird between the two of you, I had just gotten back from my trip with Sarah and Jake, remember?" We nodded her on. "Well, I guess I just sort of felt…neglected? I don't mean I expected for you to spend every second with me, but it was like neither of you even cared that I was back…and after I was gone for so long. That's when it first started. And then when Kendall said those awful things, that Dad wanted her and he was no longer Mom's, and that nothing could stand in the way of her getting him. And Mom, I sawwhat was happening to you before we left. Both of you. It was…heartbreaking, seeing the amount of pain you were burdened with.

"After we moved, I expected things to get better, but then Alison showed up. You guys tried to keep it a secret this time, but I knew. I didn't think it was Kendall or anything, I just assumed you weren't getting over your problems…the devastation in both of your eyes was back. And then that day," she sniffled.

"That day, Dad ignored me and took _her_ hand, got in _our_ car, and took off…it was like a blow to the heart. Then the morning after he didn't come home, Jake and I heard you up in your closet, Mom. And seeing you in there, just…desperately clutching at Dad's shirt and sobbing," she cried, trailing off for a moment, struggling to finish. "And then Jacob pulled you into his arms and you just…fell apart. It was only for a split second, but I saw it. I saw _everything._ All of the suffering, heartbreak, your desperation…all in that fleeting moment."

This information was new to me. A wave of remorse crashed into my heart, and I could barely contain the sob that wanted to be let loose from my throat.

_I had hurt the two most important people in the world to me. _

"By then I had already gone to see Carlisle, though, so I knew what was wrong with me, but still, I think that only made it worse. But I know you're both probably wondering how this would happen to me. Carlisle thinks it was the combination of all the gloomy emotions surrounding the house, the feelings of neglect, and seeing my parent's relationship falling apart."

"I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you, baby. It's just been so hard to concentrate on anything the past few months. But things are going to work out, I have faith in that."

When Bella got done with her apology, I settled my gaze upon her shimmering eyes. "Do you think I could speak with Renesmee for a moment?"

She nodded and began to walk out of the room, but I leaped off the bed to stop her. "Let me walk you out."

I trailed after her until we were standing silently on the edge of the trees surrounding the house. She turned to me then, biting her lip, her expression far-off, like she was overwhelmed. I knew the feeling.

I approached her stiff form, leaving only a minimal distance between us. I ducked my head down so I was eyelevel with her, and made sure her eyes were trained on mine before I spoke so gently, it was as if I wasn't speaking at all. "I'm going to make this right, okay? I promise, and I mean it this time. You, Ness, and Sarah are the most important people in my life. I'll never forgive myself for inflicting this much pain upon you. Just know that it was never my intention. I love you all so much, with all my heart."

"I love you, too, but you're already forgiven; by all of us, so don't blame yourself."

I chuckled humorously. "Already do."

"I can't believe I didn't notice this."

Knowing she was speaking of Renesmee, I nodded. "It slipped right by me, too."

A tiny sob escaped her lips, and if not for my superhuman hearing, it would have been inaudible. Her head shook back and forth. "I just wish none of this ever happened. Why does it always have to be us?"

Not caring that she had said she wasn't ready earlier, or that I didn't deserve it, I tugged on her hand, pulling her effortlessly into my arms. I pressed her into my chest, every inch of our bodies aligning perfectly, leaving not a single bit of space in between. Unexpectedly, her arms darted out, winding around my waist and hanging on for dear life.

I gulped in the sweet strawberry-freesia-and-lavender scent of her as my nose buried itself into her hair. God, I'd missed her so much. Another sob let loose, her tiny frame shaking both of our bodies. She pressed her face into my shoulder, and I just squeezed her tighter, reminding her that I was here.

After a few minutes of silence, the only sounds being her soft cries filling the air, she pulled her head away gingerly, pressing her forehead into mine. I swallowed down the desire to kiss her, but she saw straight through me. It was almost as if _she_ were the mind reader. "Not yet," she breathed.

"You need to get up there before she comes looking for you."

I nodded, reluctantly untangling myself from her grasp. I softly brushed my lips against her forehead before darting back into the house. _Technically_, I didn't break her no kissing rule.

Renesmee hadn't moved an inch since we had exited the room. Her mind was still on mental mute, informing me that Bella wasn't far, and intended to keep her shield up. I returned to my position at my daughter's bedside. Her hand sought mine and she threaded our fingers together, giving a squeeze.

"We've missed you around here," she smirked, but I could clearly distinguish the sadness still lingering in her eyes.

"Renesmee, you've not a clue how much I've missed you."

"What did you want to talk about?"

I studied her face for a quiet moment before finally nodding, beginning. "I just wanted to personally apologize for the all the wrong I've done you lately. You have to know that I resisted as much as I could, and that through it all, I still loved you and your mother more than anything. I _never_ wanted Evelyn, not once. In fact, I despised her. I despised her for all the pain she brought into our family, the destruction she was causing. But under her control, I was physically incapable of doing anything other than what she demanded of me. I'm so sorry that you're going through this. I'm aware of the fact that this is my fault, and I take full responsibility. And I want you to know that I'm going to make this up to you in whatever way you need for me to. I love you, you're more important to me than everything. You, your mother, and Little Love," I smiled briefly. "You three are all that matters."

By the time I had finished, a new batch of tears dribbled down her face. "I love you, too, Daddy. You promise this is all over?"

I shook my head, and a look of shock flittered onto her face. "No, I swear."

She visibly relaxed. "Don't do that," she poked me in the chest with her free hand, smiling.

"I couldn't resist," I grinned, relieved that she seemed to be genuinely happy right now.

My free hand moved to cup her cheek, and I leaned over, pressing my lips to her forehead. I then wiped her tears away tenderly with my thumb. She crawled over so she was next to me and rested her head on my shoulder, her fingers constricting around my own.

Surprising us both, Bella strolled into the room, a teary smile perched upon her face. She slumped down next to me and rested her hand on top mine and Renesmee's joined hands. When she leaned her head on my shoulder, too, I let go of their hands, and wrapped an arm around each of them. Bella stiffened a little, but allowed it, while Renesmee closed her eyes, burrowing her face into my chest. "Oh, man, I'm tired now," she giggled.

I gestured towards the bed. "You can sleep if you'd like."

She peeked over her shoulder apprehensively, then back up towards us. "Only if you two promise to stay in here until Jacob gets back."

"We'll be here," I vowed.

- -

When Renesmee had been lulled to sleep, nestled comfortably into her bed, Bella and I awkwardly waited at her bedside. Our fingers brushed accidently several times, until finally, Bella picked my hand up and confidently placed it in her own. I shifted my eyes onto the connection and smiled.

We were making progress.

**Chapter 18, finally! God, I'm sad to say, but we only have about 2-4 chapters left! Hang with me while I get the rest of these chapters out, I promise, it gets good!**

**I love you all! Thank you for being so patient! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Your reviews are fabulous! I love them all so much! Unfortunately, I'm not able to reply to most of them, which I apologize for that. I'm very busy these days. But I always try to answer questions you ask! Thank you all so much. About 2 more chapters left! **

**The action starts NOW. ;)**

**Chapter 19**

_**Guard Down**_

**BPOV**

The week passed, and with it, I let go of all of the betrayal I felt, all the lies that were told, and finally just let myself live again. I was still apprehensive over the approaching days, as everyone intended on going back to school on Monday, but I wasn't going to obsess over it.

Things were exactly how they were supposed to be.

Well, maybe that wasn't exactly true, but at least Edward was where he belonged, with me.

A ghost of a peck on the edge of my jaw reminded me of just that. I grinned, reveling in the elation that was seeping down through my body and into my bones.

I longed to be closer to him than I was now, but I wasn't quite ready for _that_ yet. In time, I suppose. Just how long it would take me to feel that comfortable around him was still a mystery, though. I hoped it would be soon. I desperately missed him.

"Are you ready to get up yet?" his voice whispered in the darkness, but I could still see him just as clear as I could if it were daylight.

I rolled over, now half on top of him, shaking my head playfully. "Never."

He chuckled lightheartedly. "Me neither. Do you think they'd allow us to stay here forever?"

"I wish. But, unfortunately, they're not that kind."

I buried my face in his neck, drawing his scent into my lungs, wishing we had more time like this to be together, with no interruptions, completely alone. Well, almost, if you didn't count the eight other people in the house that were hyperaware of every word spoken between us.

His arms tightened even further around me, and I sighed before kissing his lips. This week had been a rebuilding of our relationship, so to speak.

Wednesday was the turning point. It was the afternoon we had our discussion in the woods, our daughter's condition was revealed, and the first time I had hugged him in what felt like an eternity. And as we watched our daughter sleep, I held his hand firmly within my own, letting him know without words that I was making an effort to move on.

Thursday, none of us went to school, and instead, spent the day as a family. Alice arranged a baseball game, somewhere deep within the forest, where our thunderous playing couldn't be heard. The teams had been divided into boys against girls, and we had been down by two runs until the final inning, when we suddenly made a marvelous comeback, winning the game.

Friday, unlike being a family day, was _our_ day. Edward had taken me to _our _meadow, a great stretch away from our home, and we had spent the day together, basking in the beautiful uncommon Forks sun. We clasped hands, discussing issues past, and ones we had yet to face, among other things. He recited the story of our love, from the very beginning, in _his_ point of view. His words, laced with such passion, struck something within me. So as we were departing, around dusk, I swallowed all of my fear and just kissed him. I had truly missed the sweet taste of his lips on mine.

On Saturday, the two of us, along with Renesmee and Jacob, took Sarah to a few museums out of town, along with a trip to the park. Spending time with my granddaughter was something I hadn't realized I'd had so little of. Being so distracted by everything else, I'd sort of forgotten about her. I felt like the worst grandmother in the world. Knowing that Edward felt even worse than I did made me feel a little bit better, until I thought about how horrible that sounded, which in turn made me feel sick. I just couldn't win.

Sunday was another day spent between just Edward and me. We had somehow ended up snuggled on our bed around midday, where we had remained until this very moment.

He shifted underneath me, and I focused my foggy eyes, coming out of my reverie. "Where'd you go?" he asked softly.

"I was thinking about all that has changed since Wednesday."

His fingers danced across my cheek and over my jaw, settling on my neck. He pulled my head down gently to connect our lips. I smiled into the kiss, pushing myself further into him. Our lips glided together perfectly, both of us somehow predicting the other ones movements, and matching them.

Successful in monopolizing every one of my senses, Edward leaned back into the pillows, smirking.

Abruptly, his smile evaporated, his face becoming sullenly serious. "Thank you, Bella."

"You're welcome," I answered unsurely, then asked. "What did I do?"

He bit down on his lip for a moment, flicking his eyes up to mine. "Thank you for this," he waved his hand between us. "For you, for your forgiveness. For taking me back. I don't deser-"

"Hush," I commanded, placing my hand over his mouth. "I thought you promised you'd stop trying to blame yourself."

"I wasn't. I was simply stating that I didn't deserve you, or anything else you offer me," he mumbled from beneath the barrier of my fingers.

I removed my hand.

"You do."

"Don't, Bella."

"You do," I repeated determinedly. "How long is it going to take you to realize that you _aren't_ a monster? You've never intentionally caused me physical or emotional pain in all of the time I have known you. I love you, Edward, and you love me. Can you just focus on that instead of all of your self-hatred? This wasn't your fault."

He flipped us around and pushed his face into my neck, breathing out audibly. "I'm trying to believe that."

"That's all I'm asking."

A calm silence enveloped us, and I shut my eyes, retreating into my thoughts for a moment. I pictured all of the times previous to this moment that he had done this exact same thing: bearing every problem between us as his own fault. I desperately wished I could take a peek into his mind, I could only imag-

"I'm terrified, Bella."

The barely audible whisper interrupted my thought, and I darted my eyes down at him.

"Of what?"

"Of everything."

"Explain that to me," I urged, trailing my hand up to caress his silky hair, scratching lightly.

After sighing exaggeratedly, he confessed, "I'm terrified of going to school, of facing _her._ I'm terrified that I'll ruin us if I mess up again. I'm terrified that I won't be enough for you anymore, or that you'll leave me because of this woman. And I'm terrified that I'll break your faith in me again."

My fingers combed through his hair gently as I reflected on the fears he just admitted to having.

"I don't know if I'll be able to stop this time, Bella. I want to, for you, for our family. But when she's around, and she demands something of me…I'm not sure why, I just _have_ to obey."

"She has that power on the other guys, too. It's not just you, Edward. And the family decided that we're going to try to go back to school, see if the threat worked. Rosalie and Alice have the weirdest desire to stay here, even though I told them it'd be best if we left. I think they want her to mess with us again, just so they can kill her."

I chuckled at the thought. He didn't seem to share my amusement.

"Fine, we'll go. But I swear Bella, if she asks one thing of me, _one _thing; I'm walking out that door and taking you with me…and we're never coming back."

"Hey, I don't like this any more than you do. I don't want to go back at all."

"Then let's stay home," he pleaded.

Our bedroom door burst open then, and Alice stomped through it in all of her vertically challenged glory. She pointed an accusing finger towards us. "You're both going. You're right, Bella. We need her to try something so we can have a reason to kill her."

"Carlisle won't allow it otherwise," she bitterly sighed. "And anyways, if you run, she'll just follow, and create problems at our new home. So get up, lovebirds."

She stood there grimacing at us from the foot of the bed. Edward lifted his face from its burial in my neck and twisted up to glare back at her. "We're up. Now go away."

She smiled, flashing all of her teeth, glisteningly white, but razor sharp, as a warning. "As you wish."

And then she vanished, the light streaming in from the hallway cut off as she closed the door behind her.

Edward flopped onto the bed on his back, shutting his eyes. "I wish I could sleep."

Random…?

I just went with it. "I do, too."

"You know I don't even remember what's its like. I haven't slept in over a century."

I brushed my fingers over his closed eyelids, abruptly frowning at that thought. "I know. I barely remember, and it hasn't even been that long."

"I miss watching you sleep," he whispered.

"Now, that, I _don't_," I replied. "It wasn't fair that you always got that much extra time with me while I was unconscious."

His lips turned up into a smug grin as his eyes reopened. "Life isn't fair."

- -

Things around the house seemed to have loosened up. Nobody was angry with Edward, as they once were before the situation was explained.

Even Jacob was treating him just as he normally did.

Renesmee's condition was steadily improving, but Carlisle reminded us that it would require more time for her to heal, and that this wouldn't go away over night. She would still have days when she felt particularly sad for no reason, and other days when she was unexplainably happier than usual.

I glared out the front windshield of the car, my fingers drumming anxiously on the console my arm was resting on. "Stop it before you break my car."

My gaze shifted up to my agitated husband, his own fingers wound so tight around the steering wheel, it wouldn't surprise me if the two fused together. I noticed faint indents on the top of the console, where I had been thumping my fingers carelessly.

"Sorry."

We traveled down the slick, black roads, winding and curving mysteriously, almost reminding me of a hedge maze. The school parking lot came into view, and we approached cautiously. If my heart was still animate, its pulse would be outrageously out of control by now.

I clutched at Edward's hand, trying to squeeze out all of the anxiety that was overwhelming me at the moment. "I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this," I chanted softly under my breath as he parked and turned off the engine.

His tongue darted out of his mouth, smoothing over his bottom lip. The hand joined to mine tightened. "Don't let me out of your sight, and if you see her, or even so much as catch a whiff of her scent, get me away immediately. I want no interaction. Do you understand me?"

I nodded submissively.

He leaned over the console, tenderly placing his lips on mine, and then lifting away and coming back to kiss my forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

And then, as he reached for the door handle, I bent back over towards him and cradled his face in my palms. The position was awkward, but only because the seats in the car allowed very little moving room. But still, he leaned into my touch, eyes drifting closed.

I moved one hand down, over his motionless heart, while the other remained in place. I tilted my head up towards his and brushed my lips onto his forehead, lingering there for an extensive moment. When I attempted to pull back, he cupped my jaw, drawing me closer and putting his lips upon my own.

"You can do this," I whispered against him.

I gracefully exited the car, scanning the parking lot briefly. Edward was at my side, lacing our fingers together, his constricting around mine almost painfully tight. But I wouldn't complain, as mine locked around his in a death grip that could rival Emmett's massive strength.

As we ventured towards the building, my eyes nervously darted around everywhere, searching the crowd of adolescents for _her._

I was relieved when we made it in with no incident.

The morning classes passed by in a flurry of edginess, my stomach dropping every time I spotted someone who looked similar to _her_, and then returning to its natural place when it inevitably wasn't.

From my perch on the edge of Edward's knee, I couldn't find her in the swarm of kids around the cafeteria.

_Perhaps she decided not come back at all? _I mused, my thoughts filled with a strange optimism.

"Quit searching," he breathed into my ear, too quiet for anyone but me to decipher.

Heaving my thoughts away from myself, the walls of my shield deteriorated until my mind leaked through the cracks of its strength.

I allowed him to listen to my hopeful pondering, and then raised an eyebrow in his direction. "I hope so," he said quietly.

My thoughts then transformed into pictures of how I envisioned our life here, Evelyn a footnote in history, long forgotten. The corners of his lips danced into slightly lopsided grin.

He delicately pressed his lips to my hair. "You have no idea how much I want that for us."

"Hey, no silent conversations," Alice grimaced. "We want to listen, too."

"It's none of your business," Edward and I spoke in unison.

Alice groaned exasperatedly. "That only makes us want to listen even more!"

Edward rolled his eyes at the Alice and Jasper's curious expressions, and I just shook my head.

"Wow, they really only needed just a couple days to bounce back into their annoying selves," Alice muttered in mock annoyance, but we could clearly detect the thrill in her eyes. She was positively boiling with happiness for us.

- -

I half expected Evelyn to be seated in her regular spot next period, but fortunately, she was nowhere to be seen.

The rest of the day passed me by quickly, as I was relieved by her absence, so much so, I let my guard down.

When the last bell rang, and after a quick locker run, Edward and I were trotting out to the car together, unaware of what was about to go down.

Before I could sense anything was out of the ordinary, a petite brunette stepped out in front of us, blocking our path. The expression on her face was enough to frighten me; my hand straining so tightly around Edward's that it hurt a little bit. She wore a smug smile, her eyes dancing in amusement as she stared at our desperately clasped hands.

Edward was as stiff as a cardboard box beside me. My eyes furiously surveyed the area around us, searching for a family member to save us, as I was locked into place.

"Hello, Edward."

_**- -**_

**Wow, I'm very excited for next chapter, that's all I'm going to say.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Keep in mind, Bella has no idea what Evelyn's true vampire self looks like.**

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**Chapter 20**

_**The Perfectly Corrupted Plan**_

**Bella Cullen POV**

"Hello, Edward."

Neither of us spoke, simply gaping at the woman before us. Fear trickled through my system, anxiety crippled my heart, and my brain remained clouded with shock.

Her dark eyes appraised me for a moment before snapping back to Edward's. "I see you went crawling back to _her_. Such a shame you didn't do as I asked."

Edward growled; thankfully low enough that the humans around us couldn't hear.

His hand loosened from around mine, letting go. I panicked for a moment, until his arm winded painfully tight around my hips. He tugged me forward and around Alison/Evelyn, until we were walking away.

"Wait, Edward," she called, her voice light.

His stride faltered, his eyes shutting as he strained himself to keep moving forward. He finally slowed until he was at a complete halt.

"Good boy," Evelyn said in vampire speed. "Now turn around."

He followed her instructions, spinning us around to face her. She had come closer, and we were now in the same position we were before, only a few feet away.

Evelyn's head tilted, a tight lipped smile lifting the corners of her lips. "Now say goodbye to Bella, Edward, and come with me."

She held out her hand expectantly.

My frantic eyes blinked up at Edward. His eyes were screwed tightly closed, the fingers on my hip digging harshly into my skin.

"Come with me, Edward," she repeated.

His entire body shook with the exertion it took to restrain himself. He took a step forward, the breath coming out from his nose roughly, and I grasped at his forearm tightly.

The trembling beneath his skin seemed to slow somewhat, so my hand cautiously traveled up his arm and over his shoulder, into his hair. I ran my fingers through the soft strands, knowing it calmed him down in standard situations.

And then, as if by magic, the shaking stopped altogether.

"Come with me, Edward." Evelyn's voice was now impatient, her eyes hard.

Slowly, his eyes reopened to gaze at her. "No."

Bewilderment, rage, fear, a million different emotions flitted onto her face. "W-what?" she stuttered.

Edward released his death grip on my hip and threaded our fingers together once more. "I said no."

And then he turned us around and began pacing towards the car as fast as humanly possible. He nearly flung the passenger side door off and climbed in, while I carefully got into the other. Once enclosed within the confines of the car, he fumbled around in his pocket until he located the keys, and shoved them at me when he did.

I snatched them away from him and into the ignition, asking no questions, only driving.

When we were about a mile away from the school, he let out the breath he had been holding since the last time he spoke to her.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

I nearly swerved the car from the insanity of his apology. "For what?! You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Back there, Edward, that was _amazing_. Her vampire gift is to force men into doing her will, and you just refused."

"Not without difficulty."

"It doesn't matter! You still did it."

His eyes opened then, and realization seemed to seep into them. "If you hadn't been there…If you hadn't acted as you did, I wouldn't have been able to refuse."

"The how doesn't matter. Just that you did it, Edward! I'm so…." I searched for the correct words, "Proud of you."

He positively beamed at the compliment.

I yanked his hand over the console and into my lap, suddenly giddy, wrapping my fingers around his. "You don't know how happy I am right now."

"I think I have an idea."

- -

"She _what?!_" Alice screeched.

Rosalie stood abruptly. "So let's go. She's given us a reason, so let's go kill her."

Carlisle held up his hand to stop her. "Hold on a moment, girls. Let's not get too hasty. Let Edward or Bella explain this first."

Edward glanced over at me in expectance. So I retold the story of our encounter with Evelyn, making certain to leave nothing out.

"That sounds like a good enough reason, Carlisle," Alice hissed.

He cautiously held his hand still in the air. "I want no part in this murder. In addition to that, Edward is not allowed to go, and neither is Renesmee. Is that clear?"

We all nodded obediently.

"Wait a second," I interjected, remembering something.

Everyone's questioning eyes were on me at once.

"The guys shouldn't go either. She has power over them."

Emmett and Jasper groaned simultaneously. "But if Edward can fight it, then I bet we can, too!" Emmett exclaimed.

"No, she's right," Rosalie muttered. "I guess it will be Alice, Bella, and I, unless you'd care to come with us, Esme?"

Esme shook her head. "No, thank you. Are you sure you three will be alright alone?"

"We should be fine."

- -

The three of us crept silently through the thick shroud of trees that surrounded Evelyn's home. Excitement was flooding into my system at the thought of her being gone, out of our lives for good. I wanted her dead so badly, and I was already imagining the many ways I could torture her.

Slightly appalled by my rather brutal thoughts, I focused on the mission, which was to gain entrance to her house without her noticing. It would be extremely difficult, but not impossible.

We had decided to wait until dark to set out, as it would make it slightly harder to be noticed.

On our way over here, we had discussed our plan of action. I was supposed to enter through the back door, while Alice entered the front. Rosalie would be sneaking though the small balcony door on the second story.

There was absolutely no way Evelyn could escape. It was the perfect plan.

When I saw motion from where Rosalie was standing, my eyes darted over. She got both Alice and I's attention before making a countdown on her fingers.

3......2……1

I stalked towards the house, deliberately slow. When I made it to the faded wooden steps that led up to the sliding glass door, I was careful to skip the visibly slanted step, so I wouldn't make a sound.

Once up the stairs, I peered into the glass for a moment, finding an extravagantly decorated kitchen. Making no noise, I tried sliding open the door, only to find it locked. Frowning, I thought of ways to make a soundless entry.

An idea popped into my head, and I pushed my finger through the glass, making a small hole. I swiveled my head in every direction, making sure I was still undetected. I began picking at the hole, making it bigger and bigger, crunching the glass in my hand to dust.

When the opening was large enough to fit a few of my fingers, I glided them in, twisting the lock slowly. I heard the sharp _click_ as it released and internally winced.

Abruptly, the door was slid out of the way, and I was face to face with a very unhappy Rosalie.

"She isn't here. And you are the slowest trespasser I have ever witnessed. I was in the house before you even made it up the stairs. Then again, Alice was still working on the front door by the time I realized nobody was here, too. What the hell am I going to do with you two?"

I glanced over to Alice sheepishly and she returned the look.

Just then, we heard a ruffling noise from the trees outside, and all of our necks snapped in that direction at once. "Maybe we aren't alone."

And then we all hurtled ourselves in that direction, following the noise into the darkness of the forest. I kept on running for miles and miles, hearing strange sounds all around me, confused as to what each noise was.

Finally, I stopped, glancing down at my watch, realizing I had been running for fifteen minutes straight, and that Alice and Rosalie were nowhere to be seen. Great, I had gotten myself lost. _And_ I was soaking wet. Thanks, downpour, always loved you.

Sighing, I spun around and began stalking back in the general direction of the house.

About forty-six seconds into my stomping and a small body nearly crashed into me.

"Alice!"

"Bella! We found her!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "We found her in this abandoned house just a few miles east. Rosalie is holding her there, but we have to move before she can escape! Rosalie is strong, but she might not be able to keep her there for long."

And with that, she took my hand, and we began running again.

- -

**EPOV**

I paced anxiously in the living room, the thoughts of the others telling me I was beginning to freak them out.

"Just settle down, Edward, it's three against one," Jasper mumbled in annoyance, trying to blanket a wave of calm over me.

It did very little to help my nerves. "It's been nearly two hours! How long does it take to kill a person?"

"Maybe she ran and they had to chase her? Maybe they didn't find her at all and are looking? Maybe they decided to torture her for several long hours? Whatever's keeping them, they'll be fine, Edward. Trust me," Emmett said.

"And what if they're in trouble, Em?" I questioned, the fear of something happening to any of them beginning to eat away at me.

Emmett shook his head. "They can handle it, Edward. They know how to take care of themselves."

"I beg to differ. Would you care for me to list all of the times Bella has said she'd be fine, but the result being the exact opposite? How many times she has caused self injury because she tries to take on more than she can handle?"

His thoughts drifted back to a few instances that were exactly like that. "Okay, I see your point. But Alice and Rosalie will make sure she-"

And then, as if saying their names aloud automatically summoned them, the two of them dashed into the living room. Their eyes searched the perimeter of the room, and then settled nervously on me.

"Where the hell is Bella?" I roared, pausing mid-step.

"Uh…we got split up," Alice said quietly.

"You what!?"

"We got to the house, and nobody was there. But then we heard a noise outside, and all took off in different directions. After forty-five minutes or so of searching the forest, I went back to the house. Alice busted through the trees just seconds later. We waited awhile for Bella, but she never came. So we went back into the forest. We didn't even come across her scent. So we came here, just assuming that she gave up and did the same."

"Oh my god," I groaned. "I knew this was a bad idea. I knew something bad was going to happen. Why the hell would you let her out of your sight?! You know she always finds a way to get herself into trouble! You promised before you left that you'd watch her!"

By now, the rest of the family had filtered into the living room, and were watching us with a range of different expressions plastered onto their faces.

"It's not like we meant to, Edward! I doubt anything has even happened to her! She's probably still looking for Evelyn. She probably went too far into the woods or something, and that's why we couldn't pick up on her scent. Plus, it was raining, which makes it even harder to find scents anyways!"

"Whatever, we need to find her immediately!"

"Give it another half hour, son. Let's just see if she comes home," Carlisle ordered.

"No way in hell!" I shouted in defiance. "I'm going to get her, you can stay here."

And with those final words, I stepped out into the heavily pouring rain, in search of my danger magnet of a wife.

**Can anyone say ****plot twist****? Haha, I'm evil. Review if you want to know what happens next!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Man, I am pushing out these chapters quicker than I thought possible!**

**Your reviews last chapter were ****AMAZING!**** You guys are so wonderful! If I could, I'd give you all your own personal Edwards!**

**Chapter 21**

_**Beautiful Nightmare**_

**BPOV**

"Where is this abandoned house at?" I inquired as we continued on through the abundant forest, our hands locked snugly together.

"Oh, not too much further. Just about another mile or two, its _way_ far back. It must be some hideout of hers."

I nodded my head, my mind zoning off, wondering what Edward was doing right about now. _He's probably pacing a hold in the floor,_ I thought with amusement.

"There it is, up ahead," she pointed out.

A small cabin came in to view, a great distance away from us still. I could barely make out any of the details, other than it was made from what looked to be stone, and had a bright mahogany door. It reminded me a lot of the cottage back in Forks, which had been Edward and I's first home.

Memories of the life we built there floated into my head. After our almost-battle with the Volturi, the nine extra months we stayed there were some of the best days of my existence.

I longed for the simplicity of how things used to be back in that time frame….Well, if you could ever call my life with Edward simple, considering the vampirism and superhuman babies.

Alice gradually slowed her pace until we had finally resolved to a speedy walk.

She carelessly flung open the door, and the bright florescent lighting assaulted my overly matured senses. I blinked against the harsh illumination, wondering why on earth somebody would ruin such a beautiful home with this horrid lighting.

As she strode into the room, something occurred to me.

"Uh…Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Where are Rosalie and Evelyn?"

She planted her hands on either side of her hips, shaking her head angrily. "You know, I was just trying to figure that out. That damn woman must have gotten loose! Damn it! Rose probably chased after her. You know she's not going to just let her get away so she can wait for us."

"Well then let's go help," I suggested.

Again, her head shook. "No, we need to stay here. Rosalie was probably right on her tail, and if she brings her back, she'll need our help to keep her here. Plus, with the rain and all of the trails she left coming here, we wouldn't be able to pick up on the right one, and would end up going in the wrong direction."

"Oh." That did make sense, I guess.

"Do you see anything?"

She sighed heavily. "No, unfortunately Evelyn keeps changing her mind on where she's going, so I can't get a clear view. All I see is that when he gets here, things are going to get fun."

"_He_?"

Her smirk faltered on her face, and she hurriedly said, "I meant _she_."

I stared at her uncertainly for a long moment. She was acting strange. But whatever, she was probably just a nervous ball of excitement; excited for Evelyn's arrival, but nervous for Rose's present safety at the same time.

And to be honest, I was terrified for Rosalie.

We had no idea how strong Evelyn was, and she also fed off of human blood, which gave her a slight advantage anyways. If she were to catch Rose off guard, there's no telling what could happen.

- -

**EPOV**

I darted into the broad overgrowth of trees; aimed in the direction I recalled Evelyn's home being.

The girl's scents were misty, at best, and I cursed the wretched downpour that was wrecking havoc on our quiet city at the moment. Of all the nights, it had to be this one.

Just Bella's luck.

Bursting through the forest edge, I dashed across the spacious backyard and up the back porch steps.

I immediately spotted a fairly large hole in the glass, and inhaled Bella's delectable scent, more potent under the shabby wooden deck's overhang. So she made the hole…

_Well, obviously, if she had attempted breaking and entering,_ my head shouted at me in frustration.

The house appeared to be empty.

There was no breathing.

No thoughts.

No sound.

I quickly gulped in a substantial amount of air, fixating myself on Bella's scent.

I was well aware that my tracking abilities were quite pitiful, and that I should have asked someone along to assist me. It was too late for that now, thought. I'd just have to attempt finding her myself.

Her scent seemed to be stretched across the entire area. I was already off to a horrible start….fabulous.

Instead of debating on which trail would be the most beneficial to follow, I flung myself onto one of the courses, following it vigilantly.

I made it less than half a mile before the rain had washed the remainder of the scent away. I turned back around and ran to the house, trying again with a different trail.

This particular path was a straight line through the forest, and I plowed through the trees, knocking over any that happened to get in my way. The further back I made it, the more forceful I became in my attempts to get through quickly. Trees were being thrown across the forest every few steps now, thunderous bangs reverberating violently around me.

I would not relinquish.

I had promised Bella I would never fail her again, and I intended on remaining true to my word.

- -

**BPOV**

"Alice," I whined immaturely. "It's been almost two hours. I really don't think she's going to come back. We need to go out and help her! She may be in danger!"

"She can take care of herself. Besides, Evelyn was wimpy. I bet the only reason she got away was because she's speedy. And boy was she! It was so difficult to catch her at first. She kept running around this house after she heard us outside."

"I'm serious, Alice. We really need to-"

Abruptly, Alice had flitted across the room, two of her fingers pushed into my lips to quiet my ranting. I groaned under her fingertips.

"Can I at least call her?"

"You still have your phone?"

I nodded, digging into my pocket and pulling out the glossy black device.

Alice hastily snatched it away from me as soon as it had come into sight. "I'll text her. We don't want to make her phone go off if she's trying to sneak up on Evelyn."

"Thank you."

Her fingers artfully danced across the touch screen surface, her face shoved up close to the screen. I almost giggled watching her text. It was something she very rarely did, and, saying this with all the love in my heart, she sucked at it.

"You really need to learn how to text without looking like a complete idiot," I stated frankly.

She smirked up at me devilishly. "Well, I'm elderly. Doesn't that somehow designate me as an awful text messenger or something?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose so."

My phone chimed loudly, and Alice's face lit up bright as a Christmas tree when she read the message. A positively evil grin marked her face when she peeked over the top of the phone at me. It kind of creeped me out.

"What did she say?"

"She said she's on her way. This is going to be delightful."

She then neatly tucked away my phone into the pocket of her designer jeans, nearly dry from all of the time we had spent waiting here. Hopefully the rain would let up before we left. I really didn't care to get soaking wet again.

In the far distance, footsteps padded towards us, and excitement coursed through my veins. It was the moment we had been waiting for.

"The fun starts now," Alice hissed in vampire speed. "Are you ready, Bella?"

My eyes darted happily over to hers, just as a vivid irregular light blurred her entire form. My eyes widened as she transformed right before my eyes into someone completely different.

As the light began to fade; only one thought could be processed within the millions of things that shot through my brain all at once.

Evelyn Ann Elliot had fooled me, and god only knows who, or what was racing towards us.

- -

**EPOV**

_Faster, Cullen,_ I internally chided myself, simultaneously wondering how deep into the forest Bella had actually gone, and why she had remained on the same vertical path.

Just as the trail I was fervently following hit a sharp corner, my phone buzzed obnoxiously in my pocket. I sighed, halting my movement to retrieve the shiny piece of plastic from the deep pocket of my jeans. I gasped my eyes traveled across the words shining brightly on the oversized screen.

_Edward,_

_She has me in an abandoned house, approximately twenty-three miles northeast of her place. _

_Please come quickly._

_I love you._

_-Bella._

After replying that I was on my way, I began pushing myself in that direction, forcing myself to go as rapidly as possible.

It only took less than a minute or so before I could see the sharp outline of a familiar stone cottage. It was very similar to the home Bella and I had shared when she first entered her immortal life, but I knew they weren't one in the same.

I strained my muscles to test the limit even further, to go faster.

At this point, I was moving so quickly, I wasn't even certain my feet had touched the ground at all in the last fifty-six seconds.

The house became more visible with each millisecond that passed me, with every tree I flew by, with every step that I took. It had only been total of one minute, thirty-nine seconds since I had received that text message several miles back.

I was in awe of how quick I had to have been going, but hastily shoved that out of my mind, focusing on what laid beyond that dark, russet colored door.

When approaching, I didn't even think about slowing down, only slamming myself into the door, taking it clean off its hinges.

I was breathing heavily, exertion stressing at my body for the first time in my entire existence. My torso hunched forward for a brief moment, and I collected myself hurriedly.

Taking a deep, soothing breath, I finally straightened myself out.

I gasped audibly.

There were only two possible explanations for the vision laid before my eyes.

One, I had strained myself to the point of exhaustion, and I was now having the most magnificent dream.

Or two, I had just willingly stepped into my own worst nightmare.

**Another cliffhanger. I'm real sorry about that, by the way. But it's just so much fun to hear your guesses. The next chapter is what I have been envisioning from the VERY start of this story. I'm extremely excited to share it with you.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Wow, sorry this took forever. ****SO**** many problems in my real life, you wouldn't believe. I haven't even been at my own house for the past three nights, so yeah…**

**EVELYN's banner majig is finally up on my profile, so go take a peek if you want to see what she looks like….I tried.**

**Anyways, here is what I've been envisioning since I first thought up the idea of this story. I've tweaked it a bit, though, as I want to stretch this story out a bit further. I'm **_**hoping**_** to get to 25 chapters, but it could be shorter. **

**Chapter 22**

_**Decipher Me**_

**BPOV**

The rapid footsteps that were steadily approaching stopped suddenly, and only a very muted padding could be heard. Whoever it was must have been going _fast._ Impossibly fast, even for someone inhuman as myself.

The outright terror that coursed through my veins increased tenfold.

The exact replica of myself bounced excitedly in her seat, her eyes trained on the dark mahogany door.

I felt like screaming at her. I wished that I could force myself to lunge across the room at her, to make her feel all of the pain and destruction she had been causing me for the past couple months. But my muscles were locked tight in fearful anticipation of the mystery person's arrival.

My eyes seemed to be burning holes in the side of her head, yet she never even glanced over.

A deafening bang echoed around the room, startling me. My eyes snapped, wide and anxious towards what I just knew wouldn't be a cheerful sight.

But my eyes seemed to deceive me.

Rather than some super-inhuman vampire that would ultimately end my life, there was Edward, hunched over in the doorway. His labored breathing and obvious fatigue chilled me, as it wasn't an ordinary sight.

When he finally managed to compose himself, he straightened his body out, only to gasp at the sight before him. His eyes widened so far, I was worried for his well-being.

Unsurprisingly, he took a frightened step back, my name leaving his lips in an uncertain whisper. "Bella?"

Nobody in the room spoke. I peeked over at Evelyn, or well, _me_, only to find her gawking at me as if I had just done something completely uncalled for.

It was a very surreal experience, seeing my own expressions, my own face, staring back at me, only not in a mirror. I almost felt as though I had just stepped into the Twilight Zone.

Evelyn slowly twisted her head to face Edward, whose back was now pressed tightly against the doorframe as he swiveled his head back and forth between us. The sight may have been comical if we had been under different circumstances.

"Edward?"

The name was whispered brokenly from Evelyn's lips. _My lips_. Her eyes – _my eyes_ - were glossy and full of fright.

She played her part well…I only hoped Edward would be able to decipher Evelyn from the real me.

- -

**EPOV**

There before me…were two of them.

The one on my left stared at me in complete horror, while the one on the left gaped at the other in shock.

I had absolutely no idea as to which was which.

My feet involuntarily led me backwards until I bumped lightly into the jagged doorframe. "Bella?" The name escaped softly before I had the chance to hold it back.

The one on the left then looked towards the one on the right, her eyes holding the same expression she captivated whenever she stared at something that frightened, while simultaneously intrigued her.

Ever so slowly, the one to the rights head twirled until our gazes met. Her expression seized such a genuine terror, her eyes full of unshed tears. "Edward?" she breathed, the fear she was certainly feeling laced within her voice

I ignored her words, my gaze averting towards the other one. She simply stared at the ground, her face revealing no sentiment.

"You got my text?" The one that had spoken before cautiously approached me, slipping the familiar black phone from her front jean pocket.

I made sure to study the one across the room, who was now glaring at the back of the one nearer to me's head.

"Yes…I did," I answered tightly, my eyes still locked on the one across the room.

"Edward," she said in a voice low enough that only I could hear. "We need to get out of here. Now."

- -

**BPOV**

When Evelyn pulled my shiny black phone from her pocket, my heart sank. She was _too _good. How would he ever believe me now? What was the point in me fighting if she was just going to win?

"Yes…I did."

I noticed then that his eyes were still trained on me, as if he were searching for something. I wasn't exactly sure how to interpret the expression on his face.

Evelyn said something too quietly for me to understand, and his eyes tightened minimally. I doubt she even noticed.

He finally averted his cold eyes, softening them as he glanced down at her. "Yes, love. But first I need to take care of her."

When he called her love, the words tore directly into my heart. The next words out of his mouth nearly killed me, though.

He believed her.

Her plan had worked.

He was now going to murder me, his own wife.

After the words fell from his mouth, his gaze flickered back up to me. I wished he could see the pain reflecting in my eyes, the absolute torture his words were putting me through. Maybe then he'd realize that I was the true Bella Marie Swan Cullen.

He leaned down then, kissing her cheek. I shut my eyes at the painful image.

"Stay here. I'll get rid of her, and then we'll go back to the house. Alright?"

She nodded sadly, and when he stepped away from her and began walking determinedly towards me, a smug smile etched its way onto her face.

I _wanted _to die, to be taken away from this world, in that moment.

He clutched my forearm with enough force to inflict pain.

I winced slightly, and his grip loosed somewhat.

With one last fleeting glance towards Evelyn, he tugged on my arm. He led me back across the room, marching unwaveringly towards the forest. Tears welled up in my eyes as my other hand came to wrap around his hand that held my arm roughly.

I made no move to unwind his hand from around my arm, or to stop him, only wanting some sort of closeness to him before my immortal life ended. I only just wanted to touch him one last time.

He stalked through the forest, unresponsive to my touch, until we were a good mile and a half in.

He jerked to an abrupt stop, his hand slowly loosening until his hand merely rested on my arm.

What he did next shocked me beyond belief.

His eyes remained tightly shut as he yanked me forward, slamming my body into his chest. His strong arms coiled firmly around my back, his forehead pressing into my own.

"Run, Bella," he whispered, his sweet breath fanning deliciously over my face.

A joyous sob leaked through the barrier of control I had previously maintained when I had assumed he was bringing me here to kill me.

"Edward," was the only thing I was capable of saying in that moment as my fingers twisted roughly in his collared navy blue shirt.

He placed his lips gently on my forehead. "Go home, Bella."

"How did you know?" I blubbered, ignoring his demand.

His finger gingerly guided my chin up so my eyes were locked with his. "Bella, I think after nearly twenty-two years, I know you pretty damn well. After the initial shock wore off, I recognized you straight away. But right now I need for you to run home. I need for her to think I've killed you. If I take her by surprise, she just might not be able to get any commands in before I can kill her."

"Edward," I wailed. "You can't! She gets one word in before you're done, and she'll have you doing something you'll regret….No. Absolutely not. I'm coming with you."

He sighed against my temple, frustrated. "Dammit, Bella. Why do you have to be so damn difficult? I don't want you anywhere near her. If she…If she tells me to hurt you, I don't know if I'll be able to control myself. Bella, I can't risk you getting hurt, especially if I'm the one to inflict it."

"I can look after myself."

"You say that like you actually mean it."

I slapped his chest, beginning to get aggravated with him. "I _do_ mean it, and I _am_ coming."

His head shook back and forth. "No."

"If you don't let me, I'll just come anyways."

"Bella, would you like for me to sling you over my shoulder and run you home before I do this?"

I growled in warning. "_Edward._"

"_Bella,_" he returned, using the same ferocious tone of voice.

"I'm coming."

"You aren't."

I raised an eyebrow at him defiantly. "Actually, I am. You're actually starting to piss me off, so I suggest you stop now before I start inflicting harm upon you…or perhaps I'll do something more drastic."

"Bell-"

"I'll do it."

He groaned. "Bella. No."

I grasped a hold of his hand roughly, leading him back towards the cabin.

He attempted slowing me down, restraining me, and even tried to sling me over his shoulder once as we made our journey back to the cabin. But with a couple of loose threats, I prevailed.

As we approached the quaint little cabin, with the gaping hole as its doorway thanks to Edward, my stomach clenched painfully.

One demand.

That'd be all it would take for her to ruin my entire life, possibly end it. And I knew without a doubt she'd do it in an instance if the opportunity were to arise.

My hand was impossibly tight around Edward's, and if I weren't so distracted by my own anxiety, I may have been worried I was hurting him. He didn't seem to mind, though, his grip just as firm as mine.

We kept a steady pace, not faltering as we darted through the gaping entry and into the brightly shining room.

"Dammit," Edward muttered was we surveyed the room.

Empty.

Evelyn was gone.

How she could have possibly known? I wasn't sure what kind of game she was playing, but I was unfailingly certain that she was good at it, a pro. I could only pray that we would be better.

**Damn, that Evelyn is a sly little thing! This was NOT how I planned this chapter to go when I envisioned it way back in chapter 1. It somewhat is, but I've changed it completely. It's still like I imagined, but different, if that makes any sense.**

**  
Oh, and don't you just love how Bella finally grew a backbone and stood up to Edward? Hehe, I did.**

**Okay, I'll quit rambling now. I hope you liked the chapter, I was very excited about it.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all. Well, except for this plot, and my made up characters.**

**So this is all in Alice's point of view, and will probably confuse the hell out of you. But rest assured, it'll be cleared up eventually.**

**Chapter 22**

_**Confrontation**_

**APOV**

I tried and failed miserably to keep my eyes focused on the dark overgrowth of trees encasing the house. I was growing increasingly anxious, as Bella was who the hell knows where, while Edward stupidly went out searching for her. _Alone._

God, he could be so rash and idiotic when it came to her.

And it's not like I didn't understand his trepidation. I would have been in a panic, too, if it had been Jasper out there.

But still, Edward could have at least brought someone along with him.

Like me.

_God, I hope that they're alright,_ I thought inwardly.

I heard someone enter the room, and made no move turn, or even acknowledge their presence. I had already known she would be coming. I had seen it. It had been the _only_ clear thing I had seen in the past four hours of my life.

There were too many hasty decisions being made for me to see what path Edward, Bella, or Evelyn were on.

Whenever I searched an hour ago, I could only see Edward leading Bella into a forest, his grip tight around her forearm, but his expression one akin to distress. I couldn't even begin to decipher the feeling practically exploding off from Bella's face.

It was an odd mixture, something like…terror, sorrow, pain, and strangely…love?

The whole vision just ridiculous; incomprehensible.

"Hey, Alice?" her voice whispered into the shadows of my dark bedroom.

I didn't turn, nor did I speak, simply waiting for her to ask.

Just like I knew she would, she silently stepped towards me and took my hand in her own, something uncharacteristic for her.

"Do you see if they're alright?"

"No."

"We shouldn't have left her."

"I know."

"God, I hope they're alright. We all know how much trouble Bella gets herself into on a regular basis." She paused for a moment, considering all the possible situations they could be in.

"Dammit, he shouldn't have gone alone!" she suddenly growled. "Does he have no common sense!? Anything could happen to them now! And now nobody will even be there to restrain him if Evelyn tries anything. This is just perfect!"

I inhaled deeply, pushing back all of the sickening visions that assaulted my mind. Yet I knew for certain they were false, the picture was still brutally clear in my mind.

"Rose, calm down. He wasn't in his right mind when he went after her. Think if you were in that situation and Emmett were lost with that kind of predator on the loose. You would have reacted similarly. Edward can't even fathom the idea of something bad happening to her, especially if it were his fault. It would destroy him, Rosalie. Just the thought of it nearly does."

"I know," she said quietly. "I just don't particularly enjoy feeling like this…I'm worried for them. My stomach clenches whenever I think about all the horrible situations they could be in, and I can't get them out of my mind. It's...I just…I-"

"It's because you love them."

She was silent for a moment, before replying, sarcasm thick within her tone. "Yes, thank you, but I already knew that."

I remained silent, not offering any commentary.

After a few seconds, she began again, this time, her voice low.

"What I meant was that I've never felt like this about them. With the James situation all those years ago, I almost wished for her death, just so that their relationship would end. Whenever she got that paper cut on her birthday, my thirst was all I could think about. And with the whole situation in Italy, I was too wrapped up in the grief I felt for telling him, that I didn't have time to worry like this before she had already saved him. When the newborns attacked, I wasn't aware they were in danger until after the fight. And whenever the Volturi were coming for us, I was only worried for myself, Emmett, and Renesmee, as awful as that sounds. But, you see, now…it's so different…"

"So what you're saying is you're not used to caring for their safety?"

She nodded, and I smiled sadly. "I'm worried for them, too."

Her hand squeezed my own as we fell into a tense quiet, both of us staring aimlessly out the window.

In the far distance, a streak of white darted through the trees. Just as I noticed, I heard Rose speak. "Did you just see that?"

Instead of answering, we both sprinted downstairs and I flung open the front door, earning many concerned stares from the occupants of the living room.

Rosalie and I stared determinedly into the forest, waiting for whomever it was running full steam ahead towards the house. Finally, after only a few seconds, someone burst through the periphery of the trees. I recognized them immediately.

"Bella!" I gasped, dashing down the white painted wooden porch steps.

I flung myself into her waiting arms, and immediately a sob bubbled up from her lips. "Oh, Alice!" she cried into my shoulder, her arms squeezing tightly around my small frame.

I tried to speak, but she cut me off. "Alice! Edward, he-" she let loose another sob. "He…Evelyn! She…she-"

"What did she do!?" I asked frantically, a sudden flare of panic firing through my entire system.

"Oh, Alice," she gasped. "She tricked him. S-she pretended to be me. And then….and then he took me out into the forest. He knew it was me, and he told me to run, but I just couldn't! I couldn't let him fight her alone. So after I convinced him, we went back to the house, she wasn't there. And then we ran, and I accidently went on a different path then him. I c-circled back, and then I heard him. He was talking to me…but it wasn't me! It was her! And he called her Bella…Alice, he called her Bella! He thinks that she's me! He's going to try to kill me!"

I put my hand on the back of her head. "Shh, honey. Go inside, and sit with the boys. We're going to go sort this out, alright?"

She shook her head. "No, I have to help…I have to help."

I licked my lips, pondering this quickly. "I don't think that you can. It's best that you stay out of this. We don't want to make any mistakes and end up hurting you because we think you're her. You should stay here."

Just as soon as the words left my lips, we heard two sets of approaching footsteps.

Rose, who had been standing silently behind us hissed as all three of our necks snapped in the direction they were coming from. Jasper stood on the porch, concerned, Esme peeking over his shoulder at us…well, more like Bella.

I tightened my arms around my sister before pushing her behind me, taking a protective stance in front of her.

The footsteps became closer and closer, and we waited, the air thick with the ferocious silence that had developed around us. Nobody spoke, nobody moved. We only waited.

Finally, Edward and…the Bella wannabe plowed into the small clearing that sat directly in front of our house. Their hands were clasped firmly, their fingers twined together.

As soon as Edward took in the sight of Bella standing behind me, he halted with wide eyes, pushing Evelyn behind him hurriedly. He crouched defensively in front of her, growling at Bella viciously.

Bella whimpered from behind me. "Please, make him see that I'm real," she breathed into my ear, so quiet, I'm certain that I was the only one who had heard it.

"Edward, step away from her," I demanded.

His response was to take a determined step backwards so he was completely pressed against her. She shoved her face in between his shoulder blades, shaking her head back and forth in a defeated way…._Good._

Look-A-Like Bella's fingers grabbed each of Edward's hands, and he curled them around his own. "We just can't win," she sobbed into his back.

When I couldn't interpret the meaning of her words, I ignored her, repeating my command. "Step away from her, Edward."

He hissed at me, his eyes black with anger. "You are all such idiots! Can't you see that Bella is standing behind me? The woman you are currently protecting is the enemy. Can't you see she's fooled you?!"

"I think you're the one who has been fooled, Edward," Rosalie snapped.

By now, the entire family was standing cautiously behind us, completely unsure as to which side they should be on, or who the real Bella was.

"I think I'd know my own wife better than you would, Rosalie. Now Alice, I think _you_ need to step away from Evelyn so I can kill her without harming you."

"Edward, she's tricked you! I'm not stepping away from _Bella_. I know you can't think for yourself right now, but look behind me. That's your wife. Not that whore you're holding hands with."

At this, Bella wannabe raised her face from Edward's back, her eyes lifting to meet mine as she dropped his hands. She put her hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. When they opened she took one step backward, and I took one forward, determined not to let her get away.

But surprisingly, she wasn't trying to escape. She attempted stepping around Edward, but his arm clung to her waist. He flipped her around with one arm so she was behind him again, his arm holding her in place. She whispered something into his ear before shutting her eyes again.

"No," he breathed angrily.

She reopened her eyes and pried herself from his grip to walk around him again. She took two steps towards us before hesitating. She turned around then, and surprising me once again, she placed her hand on Edward's neck. She stretched onto her tip toes and kissed his forehead softly. He spoke into her ear, but I couldn't decipher the words.

She shook her head. "You always find a way."

And then she dropped her hand, twisting back around and taking three unwavering strides towards me. She then stopped and settled her gaze on my own, her eyes completely calm.

"Alright, Alice. Here I am…you caught me."

**This chapter is short, I realize that, but I didn't want to include any other point of views yet.**

**So does anyone have any guess as to which Bella is the real deal? I think I know. ;)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**Alright, I'd like to address something before we start, and it concerns Evelyn's powers.**

**No, she ****cannot**** take other vampire's powers when she takes on their appearance. The reason Edward can't read her mind is because she shifts her thoughts out of her body. She can rearrange her entire being, but inside she remains the same person, Evelyn Ann Elliot. But with her thoughts, she still thinks, but the thoughts are not there for Edward to hear, if that makes any sense.**

**As for why he could hear her thoughts when she was Kendall; that was before she knew he read minds.**

**What it all boils down to is that I just didn't want him to read her mind so I came up with this so that there'd be at least somewhat of a reason.**

**  
One last thing and I'll shut up, I swear. I'd like to thank you all so much for the lovely reviews you leave me. I have never once gotten a bad review, only constructive criticism when needed, which I really appreciate and respect you all for doing so. You are AMAZING. This story never would have made it to this point without you.**

**I'm finally done with my novel of an author's note. You may read.**

**Chapter 24**

_**What a Reunion**_

**EPOV**

_She was gone._

She had known I would recognize my wife all along, and we had only fallen into her trap.

While I had been stubbornly arguing with Bella out in the forest, Evelyn had managed to escape, leaving no trail behind her, as the rain had still yet to subdue.

"Dammit," I growled under my breath when we had arrived to find the small cottage vacant.

Evelyn was quite good, I had to admit. She knew exactly what she was doing.

But I would learn her game, and I would master it.

"What do we do?" Bella asked, squeezing my hand firmly.

I shook my head, not speaking, only thinking. I really didn't want to involve the rest of the family, but it looked like it was the only choice we had at the moment. Evelyn was far too good for Bella and I to handle ourselves.

As much as it killed me to admit it to myself, we needed help.

"We have to go back to the house. There's no way we can do this alone."

"Renesmee will _not_ be involved, okay? I don't want her anywhere near this woman."

My head shook once more as I looked down towards her. "I wouldn't ever consider letting her help. That wasn't what I was suggesting."

"I know, but I was just making it clear."

I paused for a moment, simply staring at the beauty that was my Bella. I gently extracted my hand from her grasp, reaching it up to softly cup her cheek. My thumb brushed underneath her right eye as she shut them both, releasing a deep exhale.

Instead of apologizing, like I had wanted to, I stayed completely silent, pulling her forward until my chin rested atop her head. I shoved my lips into her hair, kissing it sweetly.

"I won't let her hurt you," I whispered into the thick strands.

She nodded her head once. "I know that."

After a few moments, I let my hand drop from her cheek, running it slowly down her arm, smiling as she noticeably shivered.

"Ready?" I asked tentatively.

"Not at all," she deadpanned.

I silently tugged on her hand before breaking out into a sprint towards the forest. Together we darted neatly through the trees, leaving no evidence that we had been through them.

We kept our pace slow and steady, making the journey longer than it should have been. But neither of us really wanted to deal with this right now. I wasn't sure how it was possible, but I physically felt _tired_. I was both physically and emotionally worn out, and longed for nothing more than to fall asleep with Bella in my arms. I knew that it was impossible, but that didn't stop me from wishing the entire way back.

As we approached the house, a faint mumbling could be heard, but we were too far back to hear anything intelligible. After a couple more steps, I caught the tail end of Alice's sentence. "-should stay here."

A hiss, I'm almost certain coming from Rosalie, sounded out after that.

I glanced over towards Bella in bewilderment, only to find her watching me with the same expression contorting her features. Her brow was creased in confusion, her lips pursed tightly.

It only took a few more seconds before Bella and I had slipped from the forest and into the minute clearing that laid in front of our home. Just as soon as our family came into sight, I locked my eyes on Evelyn, or well, Evelyn impersonating my wife.

Without thinking, I halted all movement, yanking Bella behind me. I instinctively lowered myself into my hunting crouch, a fierce growl tearing its way up my throat as my eyes remained focused on Evelyn.

She cried out softly, and I nearly laughed at the act she was putting on, and would have, if I weren't so goddamn furious.

"Please make him see that I'm real," she whispered into Alice's ear.

No one else except for Alice had heard it, but I had immediately picked up on it in her thoughts, along with several other things that pissed me off. She believed that Evelyn was my Bella, as if I would be incapable of telling the two of them apart.

"Edward, step away from her," Alice commanded, her tone ferocious.

I didn't listen though. Instead I defiantly took a step backwards, even if I was now practically on top of Bella. There was absolutely no space left in between us as she shoved her face into my back, shaking it back and forth, and I was certain she was feeling hopeless and overpowered.

_Good_, the thought bitterly entered my mind, but it hadn't come from my own. Alice.

Bella's fingers gently met mine, and I twisted them together, trying to reassure her without words that I wouldn't let them hurt her. "We just can't win," she cried into my shirt, and my heart broke as I heard her defeated tone of voice.

"Step away from her, Edward."

I hissed at my sister, my mind filling with rage, all directed towards the woman standing behind her. With a fierce clarity, I saw all of the pain and destruction Evelyn had caused my family, and even more than that, Bella, behind my closed lids.

"You are all such idiots!" I exploded, opening my eyes. "Can't you see that Bella is standing behind me? The woman you are currently protecting is the enemy. Can't you see she's fooled you?!"

"I think you're the one who has been fooled, Edward," Rosalie rasped.

Of course they would think that. Of course they would assume that Evelyn had manipulated me into believing that she was Bella. It was the only logical answer in their minds. And there was no way I could convince them otherwise. We stood no chance.

Evelyn was _too_ good.

But hell if I wouldn't go out kicking and screaming.

"I think I'd know my own wife better than you would, Rosalie. Now Alice, I think _you_ need to step away from Evelyn so I can kill her without harming you."

"Edward, she's tricked you! I'm not stepping away from _Bella_. I know you can't think for yourself right now, but look behind me. That's your wife. Not that whore you're holding hands with."

I nearly lost it as Alice called Bella a whore, but kept myself in check, knowing she didn't actually mean it. It was directed towards Evelyn.

But at her words, Bella's head raised as she simultaneously let go of her hold on my fingers. Her hand then delicately rested on my shoulder for a moment.

_I have an idea,_ she thought directly towards me as her shield dropped.

She then stepped away from me. Alice held her gaze as she matched her step, coming towards us slightly. Her eyes then registered shock as Bella attempted stepping around me.

My arm shot out to wrap around her waist as I flipped her backwards, safely behind me once more. I hadn't realized that she was going to try something so idiotic.

"Please let me go, Edward," she breathed into my ear, her tone soft enough so that I was surely the only one that could hear.

The walls of her shield lifted once more, and she illustrated her plan to me. It was highly dangerous, and completely unacceptable. "No," I ground out.

Right before her shield slammed shut again, she thought one thing. _I know what I'm doing. Let me go._

She then extracted herself from my firm hold around her waist.

My heart clenched painfully as she took two strong-minded steps towards our family, who had now all assembled behind Alice, Evelyn, and Rosalie. Their thoughts were uncertain in regards to which side they should be on, and which Bella was the real deal, though.

I noticed that Bella had stopped moving then. I focused on her as she twisted around and walked back towards me, stretching up on her tip toes to tenderly kiss my forehead as her hand rested on the side of my neck.

"Don't do it, Bella. I might not be able to protect you if they don't realize," I voiced my fears in a quiet murmur.

She shook her head, smiling the sweetest, truest smile I had ever seen on her lips. "You always find a way."

How she could possibly be smiling in a moment like this was lost on me. But I supposed Bella had always been a strange one. If she could find light in the dreadful situation, then I believed that I could attempt to as well. She claimed she had things under control; that she knew what she was doing, and if she didn't truly believe that, that smile would have never made an appearance.

So I would trust her. And if things got out of hand, I could simply grab her and run. After the pace I had been flying at earlier, I was certain I could outrun anyone or anything.

As her hand left my hardened skin and she walked away from me, I still couldn't help but worry just a little.

She came to a stop after only a couple of steps, and I could clearly decipher the intimidation swimming in Alice's eyes. My thoughts were slightly smug as I saw it on her face, but I hurriedly got over it and scanned our family, making sure everyone held their ground. If anyone made even the slightest of movements towards Bella, I was stealing her away and running her out of here.

I wasn't taking any chances; I had made a promise.

"Alright, Alice. Here I am…you caught me."

It was clear in Alice's eyes, as well as her mind, that she was stunned into complete silence.

"If you think I'm Evelyn, then kill me, Alice. Right now. I'm right here," Bella continued. "I'm not going to try to stop you if you truly think I'm not real."

Evelyn leaned up and whispered something into Alice's ear.

_It's all an act. Please, Edward is under her control, that's why he thinks she's real._

I shifted my gaze over to the abomination of a woman. I wanted nothing more than to rip her apart, limb for limb, as slowly as possible. I wanted to kill her a hundred times over, until she finally felt as much pain as she had caused. God knows she deserved that much and more.

Alice growled at my Bella, her eyes still holding apprehensiveness.

I darted towards Bella then, slinging my arm around her waist from behind and yanking her roughly back into my chest. She hissed at me.

_Edward,_ she chastised me her mind.

"I _won't_ let them hurt you," I growled.

_They wouldn't have! You could clearly see Alice was confused. She would never make such a rash decision like that without knowing for certain. Stop interfering!_

"It was involuntary, just my natural response. I couldn't hold myself back."

Even though I couldn't see it directly, I saw as Alice's mind processed Bella rolling her eyes at me. "Of course not, honey," she said with annoyance clear in her voice, finally speaking aloud and not in her mind. "I can take care of myself, though."

"Well clearly that isn't true. I can think of a thousand different occasions that completely contradict that sentence."

She twisted her body under my arm, narrowing her eyes at me. "Maybe it's because you always interfere before I can find my way out of the situation."

"Yeah, that's Bella," Emmett chimed in with a sly grin as he jerked his head in our direction.

"Finally you realize that, you idiot," I muttered. "And Bella, sweetheart, you'd have been dead twenty years by now if I hadn't interfered all of those times."

She pinched my side with her razor sharp nails, and although it wasn't firm enough to pierce my diamond hard flesh, it still hurt. I let out a nearly inaudible yelp in surprise of her action.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that later," I threatened.

"Guys," Renesmee drawled.

Emmett chuckled. "Oh man, look at Eddie, layin down the law."

"Shut up, you idiot," Rosalie and I snapped at the same time.

"Guys," Renesmee repeated, her voice rose in alarm.

"I'm sorry, Bella, she tricked us all," Alice exclaimed as she ran to our side, awkwardly embracing Bella while my arm was still coiled around her hips.

Rosalie approached us then, hands on hips. "You know, Edward, you're a real idiot. You should have taken all of us with you when you went and got Bella. We were worried sick the entire time, and then that bitch shows up and fools us all! You know-"

"Everybody shut the hell up!" Renesmee shouted from the spacious white porch.

The whole family went silent then, our eyes turning to my little girl in alarm.

She cleared her throat. "Now, if you all are going to listen to me, I'd like to inform you that while you guys had your happy little reunion, _Evelyn got away._"

All eyes averted towards the spot Evelyn had just occupied.

Empty.

She was gone.

_Perfect._

**Before you kill me, listen. I know it seems very unlikely that they would all miss her escape, but as Edward has said before, in New Moon, I believe, they get distracted **_**very**_** easily.**

**This beast is starting to get ridiculous, and so am I with all my intense cliff hangers. Next chapter, I'm taking care of business once and for all, which means there should only be about 2 chapters left.**

**Thank you!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

**This took for-FREAKING-ever! I'm sorry! My real life problems really suck right now. First family issues and now friend issues on top of that. I had half of this written for the longest time, but never got around to finishing it, and I apologize for that.**

**NOTE: This is the LAST chapter! There may or may not be an epilogue, depending on how many of you want one, so tell me in a review what you think of the idea.**

**I made this an EXTRA long chapter with lots of fluffy goodness at the end for your reading pleasure. :)**

**Chapter 25**

_**Once and for All**_

**BPOV**

Damn, she got away again.

How did we keep losing her!?

"Rose, let's go," Alice ordered, her tone violent. "Esme, come on. You too, Ness. Bella, Edward, before you start yelling, let me say something. Renesmee is an adult; she has the right to go if she wants to. And I'm not allowing either one of you to come. Edward gets too easily manipulated, and Bella, we can't have her changing into you again. If we happen to see you while we're searching, we'll know it's her. You stay put."

Edward's eyes darkened, his expression furious "No fuc-"

"Edward!" I exclaimed.

"-freaking way," he switched words last second at my interruption.

I shot him a disapproving look, but he barely noticed, still glaring at Alice.

"I'm coming," he growled.

"I'm coming, too," I chimed in.

"_I'm_ going. Bella, she's right, you need to stay here. And so does Renesmee."

"Edward," I warned seriously. "I want to be there, too, okay? I want to help. You have absolutely no say in it. But, I do agree, Renesmee is staying here."

"Would you guys just shut up already?" Rosalie nearly shouted, her expression one of annoyance. "Why doesn't anyone who wants to come, come? Except for you, Emmett."

He noticeably frowned at her statement, but amazingly didn't argue.

"Wait a second," Carlisle spoke for the first time this night. "I think we should think this through, create some plan of action before just charging out there. I wouldn't like for anyone to get mixed up if she changes into one of us."

He then took on his leader's voice, giving us his final word on the subject. "Edward goes. He'll have to read her thoughts, or lack of in case she's impersonating one of us. Bella, have you ever thought to try and use your shield around us, to see if her powers can penetrate it? From the sound of it, her gift is a mind manipulation, which is exactly the kind of thing your shield prevents."

_My shield?_

Ah, yes, my shield. I had never once thought of using it against her before. How idiotic of me that I wouldn't realize I had the power to stop her.

"And I've been giving this some thought, and I think there may be something else your shield can do…" he trailed off momentarily, and I nodded eagerly for him to go on.

"Well, do you think it's possible that if you place your shield around her, that she wouldn't be able to use her power? That it would revert her body back into its normal appearance?"

I shook my head. "But that's a physical power. It could possibly stop her from using her mind manipulation, though."

"But what if it's all connected?"

"What do you mean, Carlisle?" Edward asked impatiently, leaning in the direction of the forest, just itching to get going.

He inhaled deeply before beginning to tell us his theory. "Well, is it possible that her power is purely a manipulation of the mind? Like, her appearances are all an optical illusion? And she sways your mind into desiring that version of herself. Maybe when she orders you to do something, you simply do it because in your mind you can't say no to her, not because she can control you."

"No, I was under some type of control. I wanted to say no plenty of times," Edward angrily cut in.

"But you _did_ say no, just the other day in the school parking lot, Edward. I think your mind finally came to the realization that you could, in fact, say no to her. And it was because Bella was there, someone you would do absolutely everything for. In your mind you couldn't say no to Evelyn, but you couldn't say no to Bella either. And because Bella is the most important thing in your world, I think that forced your mind to realize that you _could_ defy Evelyn, if that was what Bella wanted of you."

Edward sighed from beside me.

"This is all so confusing. What should I do, Carlisle? Shield our family, or shield _her_?"

"Who cares? We have to move before she gets too far!" Alice exclaimed. Edward appeared to be about three seconds away from decking her in the face. He looked pissed.

"My advice would be to shield us, just in case."

"Alright, I'll do that. Are we ready?" I inquired.

"Who's going to stay with Sarah?" Renesmee wondered aloud, her voice laced with worry.

Edward smirked. "Well, _you_ are, of course."

"Oh, don't even," she countered. "Esme, do you mind?"

Esme bit her lip apprehensively; clearly nervous about letting us all go on without her help. "Sure, dear. Everybody be safe."

"Now let's go!" Alice roared.

"Teams?" Edward inquired, his tone fierce, unnaturally rough.

"Couples," she stated simply. "You and Bella are going to go back to that cabin I keep seeing in my visions, but have no idea where is located. Rose and Em are going to search the woods in all the surrounding areas. Jazz and I will go back to her house, see if we can maybe find something, and then we'll start searching the forests, too. And Carlisle can go with Ness and Jake to make sure they don't get hurt. They're going to stay closest to the house, in case she didn't go very far, and that way Esme's right here to help if needed. Everyone clear?"

Edward's vice grip on my hand tightened impossibly further and without saying a word he yanked me towards the wood, his pace incredibly fast.

We had only gotten about a half mile before I could no longer keep up with him. He was already practically dragging me by the time I spoke up. "Edward," I breathed, my voice strangely breathless. "Edward, slow down, I can't go that fast!"

He didn't let up, didn't even speak. Abruptly he tugged my arm again, harder than he had been, and I slammed into his back. I shrieked as he found my other hand and slung it around his neck. I clung to him, wrapping my legs around his waist and holding on for dear life. "Edward, what the hell?!" I shouted, annoyed, while simultaneously impressed at how he didn't lose his momentum.

I was amazed as we glided through the trees.

He was nearly flying. Even as a newborn with my extra strength and speed I had never even come close to running this quickly. My vampire eyes could barely process the rapid scenery that raced by us, everything blending together.

It made me feel inferior…and oh so human again.

I'm positive only about two minutes had passed since we were in the clearing, and suddenly we were directly in front of the gaping hole of a doorway at Evelyn's hideout cabin. Edward flung us inside without slowing down and then jerked us to a sudden halt in the direct center of the blindingly lighted room.

I dismounted from off his back, and when my feet were safely on the ground once more, let out a playful whistle. "Damn that was pretty impressive, Cullen. You were going like eight thousand miles per hour! I think it gave me a headache, if that's even possible."

And that's when I noticed it. He was bent over with his eyes squeezed tightly shut, his hands rested on his knees, his breathing frighteningly labored. "Oh my god, Edward!" I exclaimed, terrified. My hands fluttered fretfully around him, attempting to do…something helpful. "Baby, are you okay?"

I realized that that was the very first time I had ever called him 'baby,' and pondered that for a moment before I snapped back into reality, focusing on the matter at hand.

I placed my hands on either sides of his face, trying to get him to open his eyes and look at me. "Edward, look at me," I ordered.

He lifted one of his hands off of his knees and wrapped it around my thigh, holding me close to him. "I'm...," he panted, "I'm…fine." He dropped his head and I ran my fingers through his hair, worried for his health…._never thought I'd say that._

His breathing gradually slowed down, and he swallowed coarsely. "I'm sorry….I'm alright. I just…too fast, and with the extra weight, and I….it was different the first time, when I was trying…you…to get to you…earlier," he rambled, still winded.

I was completely horrified as I saw what he was putting his body through. I was mostly concerned. How was it possible for a vampire to get winded, or run _too_ quickly? It was unthinkable.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself," I muttered angrily.

His voice was finally back to normal when he spoke again. "I wanted to get here before she did, to make a surprise attack. If we're silent right now, which clearly we aren't being, then she won't notice and walk right into my trap."

"Don't do it again."

Eventually he righted himself, smoothing down his shirt, staring at me through squinted eyes.

"What?" I finally asked, suddenly self-conscious.

He smirked. "You called me baby."

"Oh, shut it. I wasn't thinking clearly. To be honest, I was terrified."

His smile faltered, his beautiful topaz eyes shining with guilt. "I'm sorry," he breathed, wrapping his arms around me. "I didn't mean to worry you. I just wanted to get here as quickly as possible. I'm completely fine now. It was just for a few seconds. And it's not like I can overdo it, Bella, I'm a vampire."

"I know," I whispered, nodding into his shoulder. "I just don't like seeing you like that. How is it even possible for you to go so fast to where it makes you lose your breath?"

He shrugged. "I don't-"

A noise, similar to a tree branch snapping in half sounded out in the far distance, cutting Edward's sentence off. I knew straight away who it was. I leaned up, kissing the side of Edward's neck quickly before pushing him away, focusing.

It took only three more seconds before I, or should I say Evelyn, blasted through the door. She stopped dead in her tracks, wide eyed. She composed herself quickly, but I still caught the flash of fear in her/my eyes.

I felt Edward's arm wrap tightly around my waist, squeezing me into his side. "There's nowhere to run, Evelyn."

Her head tilted to the side, silently observing us. "Hmm, I'll give you this, you actually caught me off guard this time. I was not expecting you to be here. But you can't kill me, Edward."

She sauntered further into the room, overly confident.

He scoffed. "Like hell I won't."

"You can try. But really, Edward….Can you honestly tell me you'd murder something that looked exactly like your Bella? And what if…just what if I really was Bella, and she's Evelyn, and has fooled you? Sure, it's pretty obvious who's who, but would you actually be able to do it? For the rest of your eternal life, in the very back of your mind, you'd always wonder…what if? Cause we all know Evelyn's a great actress. She could pretend to be Bella forever if she truly wanted to."

Edward growled from beside me. "Stop trying to mess with my mind."

She just smirked sardonically.

My shield was already in place around the both of us, but she seemed to have figured that out already, and had found another way to mess with him. _Vindictive witch._

"Come do it, Edward. Come kill me if you'd like to."

He stepped forward, bringing me along with him, but then halted, glancing at me uncertainly. His eyes squeezed shut, and he shook his head. "I know it's you, I do. She's…she's trying to make me second guess myself."

I reached up, running my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, hoping to soothe him. He knew which one of us was real. I was completely certain he wouldn't kill me. I wasn't worried...much.

His eyes reopened. "You're Bella."

"Yes."

"I knew that." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

I pushed away my shield, opening up my mind to him. Before asking my question, I showed him every special memory of ours I could think of, a few even from my human days. By now I could only remember very significant things, such as our wedding, honeymoon, the proposal, prom, and my first glimpse at Renesmee. Sadly, I couldn't even remember our first kiss. It wasn't that it wasn't memorable, because it was, just that because I didn't focus on it when I first became a vampire, it had slipped away.

_Do you need me to kill her? _I asked.

He shook his head, kissing my temple. "We both can. I just…thank you, I needed that."

We turned to face Evelyn again to find her arms crossed, her eyebrows raised as if doubting that we could actually kill her. I'd be sure to make it extra painful just for that.

Edward and I growled in unison, and she took the slightest of steps backwards. We stalked forward side by side as she continued to step backward, finally twisting around and trying to get away. Of course, Edward was quicker than she was, stepping in front of the exit before she even got two steps forward.

She turned back around with a hiss, crouching down and springing towards me. We flew backwards, smashing into the stone wall, not quite enough force to go all the way through.

She clawed at me as I grabbed a hold of her arm, giving it a tug with all of the force in my body. A sheer metallic tearing sound, resembling nails on a chalkboard pierced through the air as I ripped her arm off, throwing it across the room.

Edward yanked her off of me, throwing her body effortlessly into the wall on the west side of the cabin. He slammed into her, biting at her shoulder as she cried out in pain. Her body kept flashing with a bright light, as if her body was trying to change back into its true form, but she was struggling to keep up her appearance as me.

A streak of white flew across the room and landed on the other side of the room with a loud _thunk._ I realized then that it was her other arm.

I rushed over to the two of them, helping Edward disassemble her.

As I was trying to get her head off, she leaned forward, sinking her teeth into my shoulder. I shrieked, caught off guard by her action and stopped what I was doing to pry her off me. Edward swooped in, landing a heavy punch in her gut, wrapping his arm around her neck and yanking. That same sharp noise echoed around the room, and then abruptly, a wave of blonde hair flew past my eyes. It landed on the other side of the room along with the other pieces of her.

I assisted Edward in tearing her other limbs apart. We worked quietly and efficiently until there wasn't a piece bigger than my hand. Once we had finished, we searched the cottage high and low, making sure to get every last part of her before we started the fire.

Edward ripped up the floorboards and threw them on top of the pile of body parts, grabbing the lighter out of his pocket and flicking it on. He set fire to one of the boards and looked towards me, nodding down. I glanced down at the head that was nestled in between my hands. Very gruesome, I'm aware, but I had made sure to get a good look at the woman she truly was before I destroyed her.

I dropped the head into the blaze, stepping away from it and into Edward's open arms. He held me snugly to his chest, his lips finding my forehead, my cheeks, my chin, everywhere on my face except for where I wanted them the most.

I grabbed his face, guiding his lips to my own, kissing him with all of the passion I could muster. In between the heated kisses, I whispered how much I loved him, instantly recognizing that I meant every single word of it.

"Edward," I whispered, my hands trailing up underneath his shirt, tracing the defined muscles of his stomach and chest as I practically attacked his mouth with my own. "I think I'm ready."

"Ready?" he panted against my lips, uncertain as to what I was ready for.

I nodded, my lips trailing down to his neck as my fingernails dragged down his chest, grabbing a hold of his belt buckle. "Ready."

His eyes widened as he swallowed noisily.

- -

Thirty minutes later we were dashing through the trees, our fingers laced together, back to our home. As we neared the clearing, I heard the distinct sound of someone pacing on the front porch, and the muffled voices of a conversation inside the house.

When we came into the clearing we found Alice sitting alone on the porch, her arms rested on her knees, Jasper pacing behind her. "You guys are sick," was the first thing out of her mouth as we approached them. "Right beside a fire that someone was burning to death in, really?"

I hid behind Edward, burying my face in his shoulder. "It wasn't my idea!" Edward exclaimed innocently, like the traitor he was.

"Yes, I know that," Alice side smiled and winked at me. "I guess tearing evil bitches up gets Bella frisky."

"Shut up. I'm going upstairs," I huffed. "You guys are mean."

"Oh, I'm just joking, Bella," Alice laughed. "And you aren't the only ones. Emmett and Rosalie still aren't back. They seemed to have run into the same problem."

I nodded, muttering sarcastically. "Well, it's nice to know I'm not the only whore around here."

"Yeah, I guess you aren't. Anyways, you guys were good."

I just gaped at her. After a moment she seemed to have realized how that sounded. "God, that is _not_ what I meant. You think I'd watch that? Again, you are sick. I meant you were good in the fight! Let me see your bite mark, that looked painful."

I pulled down the sleeve of my shirt, showing off my latest scar. I had several, only one of which I remember getting; the faint scar on the inside of my palm from when James had bitten me. The others, the ones all over my body, I was told those were given to me by Edward, from whenever Renesmee was born and he had to bite me in several different areas to get the venom flowing into my bloodstream. I was too disoriented at that time to remember it.

After a few minutes of conversation, Edward coiled his arm around my waist and led me up the stairs and into the house. Renesmee rushed towards us, embracing the both of us at the same time. I kissed her forehead at the same time Edward did. "I was so worried," she admitted quietly. "Are you okay, Mom? Alice said she bit you."

"I'm perfect now that I have you both right here." I kissed her forehead once again. "I love you, Renesmee."

When she finally released us, we were swarmed with hugs from the rest of the family, even Alice and Jasper.

Just as we were about to head up the stairs, Sarah came bouncing down the hallway. Of course, she ran right into Edward's arms, just as she always did. He hugged her as tight as possible without crushing her, whispering things in which were too low for me to hear in her ear. She was still young, and didn't understand the concept of whispering, so therefore when she did try, it came out louder than her speaking voice, earning a few laughs from the family.

After he was done, he then passed her to me, and I willingly took the toddler in my arms. The small girl placed her chubby hands on either side of my face and kissed my nose. "I love you, Grandma."

"I love you, too, baby."

- -

Sometime later, Edward and I finally made it up to our room. He immediately collapsed on the bed, and I repeated the action right beside him. "I think I'm tired enough to sleep."

I groaned, rubbing at my eyes. "I wish we could."

"We could pretend?" he suggested. "I just want to lie down and not move for several days."

"Mmm, me too."

He discarded his jacket and shoes, dragging himself up to the pillows before crumpling down again, getting himself under the covers. I switched off the lamp and crawled in beside him, snuggling into his side and resting my head on his chest. His fingers automatically came up to rub my back lightly.

Thirteen minutes and four seconds were spent in total silence before he broke it. "I think we need to move again."

"You get to tell the family."

"Damn it," he muttered. "Oh well, they're probably listening right now. If they aren't willing to move with us, than we still can. We'll take Renesmee and Sarah with us…even the mutt, I guess."

"Hey, be nice," I whispered as I heard a faint snarl from the general direction of Renesmee and Jacob's bedroom.

"I said he could come, didn't I? You know, I kind of like that kid now. He went ballistic the day I ignored Renesmee, and I respect that. You should have sent him, Em, and Jazz to beat the hell out of me for that. I certainly deserved it."

"_I'll beat the hell out of you now if you'd like,"_ Jacob's deep, woodsy voice called from the other room. _"Just admit it, Ed, you like me. You wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't around,"_ he added.

I peeked up at Edward, biting my lip to prevent myself from grinning. He rolled his eyes, ignoring Jacob. "You think this is funny, don't you?"

I held out my thumb and forefinger, mouthing, "just a bit."

He just shook his head. I leaned down, pressing my lips into the corner of his jaw. "It's okay, sweetie, I still think you're cool, even if you love Jacob."

He growled from underneath me. "I do not _love_ him. I love you. I love Renesmee. I love Sarah. I don't love the dog. I just happen to care for him in a purely platonic, he's my son-in-law type of way."

"You know, it's very common for man to love his pet. Dogs are a man's best friend, isn't that what they always say?" I teased.

Snickers could be heard from all around the house. "You're so mean to me," he moped.

I laughed at his cuteness, kissing away the pout of his lower lip but leaving my forehead resting against his. He kissed me again, pulling me even closer into him. "You like it," I whispered.

He hummed, kissing the spot behind my ear, earning a shiver from me. "I do," he murmured. "I really do."

I smiled, pulling his lips to mine again. "Good, cause I foresee a lot of this in our future."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

He rolled over on top of me, squashing me, but I didn't mind, wrapping my legs around his waist and locking my ankles together.

"You know," he started as he broke our kiss, "I love you."

"Hmmm, you should," I answered playfully.

"What? I don't get an _I love you, too?_" he asked, placing a hand over his heard as if he were offended.

I shook my head. "Nope."

The pout that I had kissed away earlier returned, and just as before, it brought a smile to my face. "Well," he drawled. "I guess if you don't love me than this is highly unacceptable right here," he rubbed one of my calves that now had the strength to keep him trapped here, unlike in my human days. "I think I'm going to have to stop this immediately."

"Well," I mocked the overly arrogant tone of voice he was using. "I don't think you want to leave."

A gorgeous half smile spread over his lips. "Never."

- -

**The End.**

**- -**

**Thoughts?**

**I'd like to thank EVERYONE! Not only the reviewers, but for everyone who has taken the time out of their days to read this shenanigan. I love you all! Without you, none of this would have been possible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!**


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